Comments

Good analysis and in-depth presentation on the Connect PNG Program. It helps gives the public a general perception in terms of policy and government's commitment and aspirations towards this very vital and important development initiative. The study can be used as a deep stick to measure government's achievements, highlight limitations and develop effective strategies that can enhance and optimize program outcome as envisioned by the government.

Well outlined.

thank you for the survey and your blog.

This is an important article. It captures the major decline in the national health budget between 2013-2017, which dealt an almost fatal blow to primary health services. But this is not the only factor driving these alarming statistics. Since the 1980s the primary health system has progressively lost its ability to undertake outreach and connect with the communities it is supposed to serve. Once a staple of primary health services, immunisation and antenatal outreach is essential if population coverage is to be achieved. The figures quoted from the Solomon Islands are instructive. While a much smaller country, nonetheless the geography can be equally as challenging. I remember carrying a cold chain box up a mountain side on Isabel island in 1980 as a volunteer mule for a health team on immunisation patrol. From the statistics presented in this article I gain the impression little has changed there. By comparison, in PNG you would struggle to find a community health worker who regularly sets out on foot to visit communities on the hill, or the next valley. They generally run an aid post clinic walk in service that may, or more typically may not have cold chain and doesn’t offer vaccinations. This leaves the practice of the annual (if you are very lucky) immunisation drive undertaken by NGOs in collaboration with provincial health workers. In short, the process is hugely underfunded, piecemeal, incomplete and nearly always reliant upon NGO participation. What characterises this approach is the service is not owned in any sense by those who need it, and it is never sustainable. For example, a look at the geography of Milne Bay or Southern Highlands provinces should tell a planner, logistician or health worker that service delivery by government alone is out of the question. In the 1980s Milne Bay communities located on the remotest islands were served by a fleet of government ship-based health centres. In the mid 1980s the World Bank financed a multi-sectoral rural development project in the Southern Highlands that included transport to deliver health workers to remote sites. Today both initiatives are long gone. Both approaches represented the bold idea that with adequate funding and commitment, government would support these strategies into the future. This thinking still prevails and in the face of half a century of failure, it is plainly wrong. No amount of public sector strengthening will solve these issues as ongoing efforts will discover. In short, “government” in the image of a Westminster system does not represent “the people.” Only a deep dive into the traditional views that underpin community culture and politics will explain why this will remain the case. In my view, as a first-hand observer, I believe the solutions, if any, lie in placing the onus for supporting the delivery of services to communities where it has always belonged – with the communities themselves. They are the ones that can solve the issues around transport, access to where they live, construction and maintenance of infrastructure and guarantee health and education workers and community policemen a safe working environment. Not government. I am prepared to bet that if an area of Milne Bay that does not receive services was thrown the challenge, that as a pre-requisite the communities must provide safe transport, maintain infrastructure and whatever else to ensure immunisation and antenatal services reach them regularly. And that henceforth the services they receive would be dependent upon their contribution, they would do it. There is a PNG civil society driven initiative to do this, but because it is not wholly under the umbrella of government it is not funded. Given the track record since independence, reflected so grimly by the immunisation statistics reported in this article, I would urge development assistance planners to step outside the square and try something different.

I believe that health indicators are arguably some of the best indicators of good governance and development of a country. The plummeting immunization rates is a red flag signaling a failing health system and a failing government that is unable to deliver basic services. We are now faced with a double burden of diseases - prevalent infectious diseases and the rising non-communicable diseases! Much of the talk these days among government leaders is about building super hospitals and sophisticated equipment but fail to recognize that we have a primary health care that is in a mess. There is more that needs to be done within the space of primary health care - the basics!

PM JM is an experienced politician as well as a senior Minister to several key portfolios during his stint as a MP. Morover he is a native bred and advocated leader with local instincts which are attributes implanted by God. The true nature's of JM's leadership depicts his moral ethics and stable decisions with pure malenesian caliber supportive of fellow citizens and members of the vast tribes of multi cultures...so that clearly indicates JM to survive the coming vonc.

Insightful piece, however was looking at analysis of both gender, we know GBV can be perpetrated by both gender, men , women and children.

Hi Dr. Digim'Rina, Thank you for sharing your perspective. As you might have known, both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies have their own merits and demerits. The former is preferred in social science studies, which makes it conventional to use it for studies such as those of polygamous marriages, due in part to its depth and detail in capturing human experiences. However, this conventional preference does not negate the essential contributions of quantitative analysis. This study uses secondary data from the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) and is quantitative by design. The importance of quantitative studies in the social sciences cannot be understated. While narrative case studies offer valuable insights into individual experiences, relying solely on them can lead to selective storytelling and anecdotal biases (1)(2). Statistics are essential for providing a comprehensive and objective overview of social and cultural behaviours. The use of DHS provides perspective on broader patterns, trends, and correlations across diverse populations of the entire country, which individual narratives cannot capture. Just by looking at the static figures in 2016–18, DHS does not tell us trends, or "how small is small," or how certain phenomena in society have evolved over time. We might think that below 20% on average means polygamous marriages are less prevalent in the country, but it has actually moved up from 14%. Also, percentages should not be taken lightly. DHS studies women of age category 15-49 years who makes up 55.4% of the total women population of 5,638,974 in the country ie approximately 3, 123,991 women (3). 20% of this figure is around 624 798 women who lives in polygamous marriages (3). That's almost 2x entire population of Western province or 3x entire population of Oro province or 8x entire population of Manus province (3). Simply put, for every fifth women you meet on the street, one of them has a shared husband. Also, while other regions, might have smaller proportion of polygamous marriages, the fact is-for the last almost 30 years, the trend has gone up (4)(5)(6). In essence, quantitative analysis is crucial for formulating policies, laws, and interventions that are based on experiences of the wider community and not a selected few. On your second concern, the data used in this study is mostly to "inform" and "not to moralise". We clearly demonstrate that in the last paragraph: "There are many theories of polygamy and its increased popularity in PNG. But, whatever the reasons for it, the data suggests that it is becoming more entrenched in PNG’s national life, increasing in importance and increasingly cutting across regional, urban/rural divides, social classes and age groupings". And let’s be aware that our own observations should not be generalised to the entire country. Judges who deal with settling disputes as their profession has called to end polygamous marriages (7). Around 65% of the total women’s population in prison have murdered fellow women whom they share a husband with (8). Think about the kids of the women in prison and the one being murdered—possibly struggling to survive. In a survey carried out across various regions of the country, Catholic anthropologist Ennio Mantovani found that approximately 70% of men and 90% of women believe that polygamy negatively affects their society (9). Even in the Highlands, where it is highly prevalent, two-thirds of the respondents utterly condemned it (9). Senior police officers even claimed that polygamy is one of the reasons why domestic violence is on the rise in PNG (9). A recent study shows that over 35% of intimate partner violence is driven by extramarital affairs (10), which is a precursor to polygamous marriages. While polygamous marriages are part of PNG culture (11) and seen as beneficial (12), in contemporary PNG, literature has shown otherwise (13)(14)(15)(16). (1) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2020.01.006 (2) https://www.ucg.ac.me/skladiste/blog_609332/objava_105202/fajlovi/Creswell.pdf (3) https://www.nso.gov.pg/statistics/population/ (4) https://pacific-data.sprep.org/resource/png-demographic-and-health-survey-dhs-report-1996 (5) https://www.nso.gov.pg/wpfd_file/demographic-health-survey-2006-report/ (6) https://dhsprogram.com/publications/publication-fr364-dhs-final-reports.cfm (7) https://www.looppng.com/png-news/judge-echoes-calls-look-polygamy-68601 (8) https://femilipng.org/wp-content/uploads/National-Strategy-to-Prevent-and-Respond-to-GBV.pdf (9) https://www.dwu.ac.pg/en/images/All_Attachements/Research%20Journals/vol_08/2008-V8 6_Stollenwerk_Exploring_the_Roman_Catholic_Churchs_Stance_on_Polygamy_in_PNG.pdf (10) https://devpolicy.org/intimate-partner-violence-in-port-moresby-drivers-and-outcomes-20240118/ (11) https://www.thenational.com.pg/polygamy-part-of-culture/ (12) https://www.thenational.com.pg/arguments-for-and-against-polygamy/ (13) https://www.thenational.com.pg/outlaw-polygamy-immediately/ (14) https://www.thenational.com.pg/outlaw-polygamy-in-country/ (15) https://www.thenational.com.pg/polygamy-today-begets-violence/ (16) https://www.pngattitude.com/2019/01/practice-of-polygamy-has-become-a-destructive-force-in-png.html

Very useful analysis, thank you.

Thank you for the great recommendations. The story from Afghanistan to Rwanda offers everlasting optimism for global development.

Thanks for the reply, Evie. We'll keep you informed of developments relating to visa-waiver discussions. Our current Minister of Foreign Affairs is an active engager with the region and has recently been in Australia talking about matters of mutual interest.

Your lament is truly heartfelt. Amongst those "further studies" you are recommending, it would be useful to discover how and where Afghan girls ARE being educated. One place is in Rwanda, through the School of Leadership Afghanistan (SOLA). As it sets out: "SOLA evacuated Kabul upon the Taliban’s return in 2021, resuming operations in Rwanda. Here, we continue to do what no one else does: we draw Afghan girls to us from around the world, providing a rigorous education promoting critical thinking, a sense of purpose, and respect for self and others." From Afghanistan to Rwanda: the SOLA story does provide some hope. Another is "Code to Inspire". Through the school's comprehensive coding curriculum, it not only imparts technical skills but also fosters inspiration and empowerment. In Herat, Afghanistan.