Saturday 29 March 2014

A Young Person’s Perspective.

Changes and Challenges that are happening in Papua New Guinea.
  
Growing Economy.
Papua New Guinea face challenges in managing the decline of a long resources boom and asserting our place in an increasingly global economy. Raw mineral resources and agriculture dominate in the export profiles of Papua New Guinea which makes it relies heavily on imports of manufactured goods and pharmaceuticals. Papua New Guinea faces greater test in balancing the economies. Channeling revenue from mining into other national priorities is proving difficult.

Regulatory inconsistency and social reluctance were identified as key barriers. China’s economic influence in Papua New Guinea was growing. The PNG government was pursuing deeper economic ties with China. The PGK6 billion loan facility that the government negotiated with China was meant to provide a funding source for major infrastructure projects. But it is not clear whether PNG would be able to access the full extent of this loan.
Public attitudes in Papua New Guinea toward China and Chinese business were changing. There was still evidence of some local hostility towards Chinese business. But the behavior of Chinese companies in Papua New Guinea was improving. They were learning how to work with local communities and doing it better than in the past. For Papua New Guineans, dealing with Chinese companies was not so different from dealing with Western, European or other foreign companies. A number of SMEs were now choosing to source supplies from China rather than anywhere else in the world. Western and European goods were less competitive and there were signs of a wider shift in sourcing. Chinese companies had established good links with rural trade store owners. There was a risk, however, that all local retail and service deliverers would eventually be owned by Asian companies, crowding out Papua New Guinean small business owners.
While there have been suspicions and concern about Asian investment in PNG, particularly in logging, this is likely to dissipate over time. Asian companies have begun to outperform Western and European companies on issues like environmental compliance and social responsibility. They are also quick to respond to community concerns, admitting wrong-doing and compensating before problem grow, whereas Western and European companies were perceived to be slower in responding to problems or taking responsibility for environmental damage.
In Australia, the Lowy Institute’s annual public opinion polling showed persistently negative perceptions of China. Australians were nervous about levels of China investment and perceived China as a military threat.
Resource industry and rural development
Most rural development initiatives in Papua New Guinea were based around mining projects, palm oil and logging. Most of these projects were foreign owned. This meant that Papua New Guineans were largely not participating in the development of the nation.
Papua New Guinea had for the most part developed good relationships with mining companies. But regulation of the resource sector as not strong. Many mining companies including Australian companies did not apply the standard of their home countries to their operations in Papua New Guinea.
A major difficult for rural people in Papua New Guinea was the lack of policy safeguards for vulnerable communities against natural and human-inspired disasters. Compensation and handouts from foreign companies were making people lazy. Where there was no ownership, there was no sustainability.
Encouraging greater participation from the young people in growing the economy and attracting investment will be critical. In that regard, increasing access to lending services was seen as important. Papua New Guinea banking system could not meet the lending needs of the population. Much informal lending and borrowing takes place outside the banking system. Making better use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) service to improve lending services will be important if more rural are engage with the economy.
Approximately, 85 per cent of Papua New Guinea’s population lives in rural areas but government service delivery to rural communities was poor.
Agriculture
Agriculture was a sleeping giant for Papua New Guinea. Developing the agriculture sector should be a national priority.
Papua New Guinea customary land ownership system provides a significant safety net against external shocks through guaranteeing access to food sources. But it also proved to be an obstacle for landowners seeking loans to establish business, as customary-owned land in Papua New Guinea could not be used as an assert in the formal financial system. Papua New Guinea farmers could currently earn a reliable living wages from agriculture. If Papua New Guineans could be confident of earning a living wage in agriculture, they could reduce their reliance on the customary land ownership safety net. 
 Sustainable development
Papua New Guinea represented nations within a nation, a land of over thousand cultures and languages. Papua New Guinea did not have viable sustainable development policy. The government’s Vision 2050 plan could be described as a ‘happy document’ which did not contain a sustainable development policy or provide any clear road-map for Papua New Guinea policy planners.
The mining industry was working on sustainable development policies but had a long way to go. The onus, however, should not be on investors but on Papua New Guinea to develop its own policies and regulations to guide sustainable development.
Investment
Negative and often incorrect international perceptions about Papua New Guinea put constraints on encouraging foreign investment. Such perception were skewed by statistics and unfortunate news stories and are unlikely to shift until pioneering companies invested and changed them. ExxonMobil’s decision to invest in LNG, for example, changed international perceptions about Papua New Guinea and encouraged other companies to invest.
Business could make better efforts to publicize their success in Papua New Guinea. The sovereign wealth fund was as important as ExxonMobil’s LNG project in informing investor views of Papua New Guinea.
Politics
There was increased apathy amongst youths towards politicians but not political issues. The disengagement of youths is essentially an indication that young people feel political parties are not listening to them. Politics tends to be dominated by rich white men who claim Melanesian ‘big man’ status and this create a degree of disengagement.
The quality of democracy has been declining in Papua New Guinea. The parliament opposition was small – numbering only five members of parliament; and unable to hold the government to account. It could not lead to kind of debate on legislation that was required and this risked abuse of process as the government did not face much scrutiny. Government members of parliament tend to become project managers of district funding programs rather than legislators because this offers more direct engagement with their communities and opportunities to prove they can deliver. Citizens have forgotten about the supporting pillars of democracy which now operate on the periphery and instead focus on politicians’ activities. For example, during the August 2011-2012 political dispute between Prime Minister O’Neill and former Prime Minister Somare, the public debate focused on the personalities of the two leaders rather than the legal and constitutional questions that were at the heart of the dispute.
Politicians sought to disparage the role of the media and anti-corruption bodies in Papua New Guinea, which undermined their role in supporting a vibrant democracy. This was a particularly problem because the role of media and civil society in holding the government to account was even more critical now while the parliament Opposition was weak. Targeting individuals was unlikely to succeed in fostering a better quality of democracy but reforming the ‘macro-democratic’ environment held more promise.
In Papua New Guinea, voters were more concern about the direct benefits on offer from individual politicians. This makes politicians focused more on what they could deliver directly to communities rather than explaining policies to voters.
While people in urban areas in Papua New Guinea had contact with government, it was important to remember that most people in rural areas had no exposure to government. Their experience of government tended only to coincide with general elections, held every five years. Politicians were elected from the sphere of the village, which was consistent with most Papua New Guineans’ experience of living only within a village, rather than a national context. But voters found it difficult to hold their representatives to account when they went to Port Moresby because the national sphere was so big and complex. Individual Members of Parliament simply took power away from the village.
While increased connectivity, mobile phones and social media could go some way to improving knowledge about the activities of Members of Parliament, it was no replacement for their spending more time in districts they represented.
Media
The media landscape in Papua New Guinea was changing rapidly with the arrival of social media. The ability of Papua New Guineas to access Facebook on their mobile phones had transformed national conversations. Mobile phone network provider Digicel had recognized this and was launching its own news website. But as internet penetration is still low, traditional media continued to be important.
The fast-changing political landscape offered an opportunity for social media and for traditional media in Papua New Guinea. Media was no longer a resource-intensive industry. The fact that big institutions no longer controlled the public message was a big change. The proliferation of mobile phones and growth of 3G allowed more people to interact with each other. People living in rural or remote areas now had an opportunity to guide what the media does. Social media presented an opportunity for everyone to get their message into the public sphere.
Outsiders’ perception of Papua New Guinea.
Outsiders or foreigners perception of Papua New Guinea were very narrowly based. Media reporting on Papua New Guinea focused on mining, corruption and a limited number of other issues like crime and sorcery. It was very difficult for journalist to sell a Melanesia story. Even serious investigative programs like the ABC’s Four Corners struggled to promote Papua New Guinea stories.
Promoting Papua New Guinea literature, arts and sports was one way to capture attention. Using creative media like film and television to portray Papua New Guinea characters could also assist.
Infrastructure Challenges
Building essential infrastructure was a major issue for Papua New Guinea. The lack of national infrastructure affected investment, government services and community development. Roads, bridge, wharves, jetties, government building and utilities infrastructure were all essential to ensure services were delivered. Responsibility for infrastructure was divided in Papua New Guinea.  The national government managed high-cost national roads like the highlands highway. Provincial roads were mostly funded and maintained by the provincial governments.
The cost of building and maintaining infrastructure in Papua New Guinea’s difficult terrain was high. Responsibility for transport sector was split across a number of agencies, which did not coordinate to deliver infrastructure services. A number of provinces were only accessible only by air and rural airstrips required heavy maintenance. There were no clear government guidelines for infrastructure spending, which unfortunately enhanced the opportunities for politicians to engage in pork-barreling. The procurement process was complicated. The government requirement to obtain three quotes for contracted work was unrealistic in remote areas. While foreign aid played an invaluable role in supporting infrastructure building, the nature of aid program requirements meant that technical staffs were often pulled away from important work to write reports for donors.
If all the infrastructure plans on the government’s agenda were implemented it would be unaffordable. There was a need for more advanced thinking on developing infrastructure in Papua New Guinea. Papua New Guinea is an island nation that relies on sea lanes for trade in goods. Inefficiencies and higher cost in shipping meant shipping companies pass on cost to consumers.
Agreements between mining companies, government and communities in Papua New Guinea usually refer to infrastructure and developments. Memorandum of Agreements could be structured to ensure mining companies take direct responsibility for maintaining local infrastructure rather than channeling funding through the government. This would help to ensure better maintenance of infrastructure as mining companies have vested interests in this; governments do not.
Although foreign investment in infrastructure was highly sought after, there was some capacity within Papua New Guinea to fund national infrastructure. Papua New Guinea two major superannuation funds, NASFUND and Nambawan Super were large, highly concentrated pools of wealth. There was a strong drive in financial circles in Papua New Guinea to make infrastructural and socially responsible investments in Papua New Guinea, which represented a paradigm shift for investors, who had previously focused on safer investments abroad. A big issue for funds going forward was liquidity.
Climate and infrastructure
Decisions on building infrastructure have traditionally been based on the assumption that future climate will be the same as past climate. Much of the Department of Work’s infrastructure was spent on emergency repair, rather than maintenance or adaptation work that took account of the climate.
Papua New Guinea lagged behind other national best practice in managing climate risk to infrastructure. The United Kingdom and New Zealand, for example, were further ahead in managing climate risk to infrastructure and populations, and Papua New Guinea could learn from them. Papua New Guinea has acknowledged the need to adapt to climate change but has not resourced government agencies appropriately.
Data Collection and infrastructure
Problems with data collection presented particular problems in Papua New Guinea. It was impossible to design appropriate and resilient infrastructure without relevant data. In the health sector, there are variances with data collection by national and provincial governments, hampering effective planning. Foreign investors have withdrawn from potential major infrastructure investment in Papua New Guinea because of the lack of reliable data.
Health and education innovations
Poor data on Papua New Guinea’s demographics was a major constraint on developing effective education and health policies. There were very serious gaps in delivery of health and education services in rural Papua New Guinea. Capacity building for local people to provide services in rural areas was important. A large number of rural education and health services have been closed because teachers and health workers not from the local area were quick to live when infrastructure failure or law and order problems arose. Ownership at a local level also brought more effective oversight.
Education
Papua New Guinea government’s has made a decision to provide free primary education. Although the decision was good in theory, it had created further problems for a sector already under enormous strain. Many schools in rural areas lacked the resources they needed and the government was failing to supply them. Demand for education rose when the government abolished fees and class sizes grew. Students to teacher ratios were far too high. There were not enough teachers and retaining teachers in remote areas was problematic. The teaching of English was inadequate, resulting in students being poorly equipped for further education or employment. The number of spaces at universities and colleges was also low for a country of Papua New Guinea’s size.
The provision of free education made it more difficult to develop community engagement and ownership, which was an important element of oversight. An opportunity cost of more children going to school in rural areas was a decline in household agricultural income as children were no longer at home to help their parents with agricultural work.  This was a difficult trade-off.
While the Papua New Guinea government lacked capacity at a national level to deliver services, it supported the functions of provincial and local governments. Improvements in service delivery had been achieved through reforms to inter-government financing. Churches were very effective deliverers of education and health services and were supported financially by the government to continue their work. Mining companies assumed responsibility for delivering education and health services in districts where they operated and they coordinated with government in this task. The mining industry also provided scholarships.
Improving internet services would be a boon to the education sector in Papua New Guinea as access to international sources would enable teachers to keep up with international education standards.
Greater accountability was required to ensure government monies were being spent in the way the government claimed. An online mechanism called ‘rate my school’ being used in the Philippines, where parents and students volunteered to carry out audits of schools to published online, was raised as potentially useful for adaptation in Papua New Guinea.
Beyond formal schooling, the use of creative media was an important tool in promoting understanding and educating people. In Australia there are regulations about levels of Australian content in broadcasting, which encouraged producers to reflect Australian identity. Making local content could create heroes and inspirational targets and assist with national-building.
Health
There were also insufficient health workers in Papua New Guinea. There is one medical school in Papua New Guinea, which takes only 40 students a year. More nursing colleges were required.
Non-government organizations and community based organizations also played an important role in supporting health services. Many of the Non-Government Organizations receives funding from respective government departments and donors. But despite their success and widespread demand for their services, their capacity is also strained. Many rural individuals who have volunteered to help their community wanted formal employment and the organization has limited funds, a situation to many community-based organizations.
The application of health models that work in developing countries to the Papua New Guinea context was not straight forward and sometimes inappropriate. There are emerging technologies that could be applied and lessons learned internationally that could be readily adapted in Papua New Guinea, without the need for foreign professionals that to share their knowledge in person. For example, Papua New Guinea’s health professionals could benefit from accessing Free Open Access Medication education, a continually expanding database of medical resources online.
Gender-based violence
Gender based violence was a major constraint on development in Papua New Guinea. Community education that focused on prevention of such violence was rare. Social marketing that sought to change behavior had to be partnered with community-based long-term education programs.
Expanding people-to-people relationships
Papua New Guinea who studied in foreign countries t any level has developed friendships with that particular nation that has endured. This is particularly true of Papua New Guineans who went to high school in Australia. Enabling connections between children at a young age is as important as university scholarships in developing better mutual understanding. For example, using children’s literature to promote reading stories about Papua New Guinea can start at a young age.
The electronic media sector offered some opportunities for bilateral collaboration. Digital partnerships also assist newsgathering and social connections.
Bringing together various initiatives, dialogues and conferences could help reducing duplication of effort to empower our youth in youth participation, employment and eco-justice.


  
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Reuben Mete is the Director of the National Youth Desk of The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea (ELCPNG). Prior to joining the ELCPNG, Reuben was an officer to the Ministry of National Planning and monitoring serving the Ministry for two years. He was also the CEO of the Community Based Organization called the Union of Watut River Communities Association Incorporated for five years which gave him opportunity to represent Papua New Guinea at the 2011 South Pacific Mining and Mining Policy Conference in Noumea, New Caledonia. In March 2013, Reuben represents Youths of Papua New Guinea in the Pacific Conference of Churches 10th General Assembly which he participated as an official delegate in Honiara, Solomon Island. He also represent South Pacific in a month long International Youth Leaders Consultation in Germany in mid 2013 and was part of the inaugural Australia-Papua New Guinea Young Emerging Dialogue team which engaged in bilateral dialogue in Sydney and Canberra in Australia  in November 2013. Reuben holds an International Awards from Spark* International in 2012 as a local Changemaker and a social entrepreneur and identifies himself as a grassroots leader.
The views expressed in this paper are entirely the author’s own and not those of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea.