Comments

The only route to repaying political corner posts of Pangu I guess. The route leading to fueled corruption and glitch.

The Taliban didn't ban girls from school. They just banned liberal schools and now they are learning in madrassa (means school in arabic) where they teach religion with modern subjects and you know how the madrassa school is. The US propaganda media itself reported it here: https://archive.ph/limCg. They separate male and female, this is really good and safe for women while liberal school is mixed gender.

An informative article on continuous progress and reforms in the tiny island republic. Having worked on the island as a contract officer, we were able to reform the education system to cater for their older cohort population who never attended school during the phosphate boom. The Republic needs to build and develop its human resource, through the basic education system on the island. Post secondary education should be completed outside of the island. The health sector needs to be continuously developed as awareness is now serious business in personal health and hygiene. Nauru needs a smart, wise and healthy population to provide the continuous manpower needs in its public and private sector of employment. That is the only way they can sustain their daily living. Reasons being the island has no land sufficient for expansion and agriculture.

Vinaka Stephen - one observation to share - one positive in the Australian government's pursuit of the aid/development effectiveness agenda in the Pacific, was their advocacy for the subsequent endorsement of the 2009 Cairns Compact for Strengthening Development Coordination (Forum Compact) by the Pacific Islands Forum - several deliverables elicited "recipient" country perspectives and action across internationally endorsed measures for development effectiveness. From 2009 - 2017, Pacific country perspectives on what effectiveness changes needed to be made in the delivery, management, and programming of aid in the Pacific were put to Forum leaders, donor partners (bilateral, multilateral) annually. Perhaps, a resurgence of instruments to elicit and place the voices of Pacific countries at the heart of measuring the effectiveness of "aid," let alone partnerships, might be what's needed in the face of the growing geo-political interest in our region.

very good article thanks

Hi Michael, Thank you for the article. One question regarding the alternative candidate named on the motion paper. The constitution implies in section 145 that it can be substituted. I cannot quite understand the process. Can the nominee be substituted on the floor of parliament? Does the mover of the motion have to nominate the person named or can that person refuse the nomination on the floor and another be nominated?

Thank you very much Tom for raising some vital points. About your first point please go to the piece, ‘today about 90% of the Rohingya population lives in Bangladesh’. Source: Managing the Rohingya refugee crisis: Who holds power? | South Asia@LSE. The article is approaching five years old (2019) so the situation might have changed. A prominent Rohingya figure who was killed by ARSA was Mr. Mohib Ullah, not Mohid Ullah— your second point. I apologise and admit that I will correct the spelling. Regards Shoma

Thanks for the reminders and insights.

It requires picking which groups get access. There is often a lot of resentment between NGOs as to which get listened to or gain funding. Who appoints these NGOs?

Significant paper. Too often serendipity has been the dominant factor in maintaining Australian relationships with our neighbours. Former students and colleagues whom we taught and worked with in Laos in the 70s, 90s and early 2000s, Cambodia in the 90s, Vanuatu 90s and Indonesia 2000s remain close personal friends. We talk to them regularly and visit often. These links are important at the personal level and fairly significant at very senior levels. Former students and colleagues are now directors of major government departments and government ministers or leaders of multinational organisations. We benefit as individuals, but almost nothing is known or gained at higher levels.

Hello Mr Bourke, Your article is a very realistic analysis of key factors affecting choices in domestic/local agriculture in PNG. I once tried rice farming with a community in a remote offshore New Ireland locality, but the enthusiasm died after the first harvest. Presently, with an indigenous community between Lae and Nadzab, we're again seriously considering rice farming on a 15+ ha land with excellent water sources on site (hopefully before the huge oil palm plantation next door makes a move to utilise the same site). We've given ourselves one year to attempt it, and if we can't, we abort the plan (a.k.a surrender to oil palm because a fair number of the group will suggest it). Now 15+ ha is quite large for a village people without any assets or cash flow. It would also entail a fair bit of complexity (or care) in planning and implementation, not to mention the initial labour and capital required. So along such considerations, one could say that starting up agricultural ventures of some scale is also a problem to interested villagers. But we're determined. We're of the view that to really address poverty/economic inequality, groups of villagers (along clan or lineage lines) need to engage in large agricultural projects that also have opportunities for business/commercial extensions which enhance the main incomes. The current trend in aid - enhancing small farmers skills every now and then with brochures and workshops in some think-tank backed aid/donor program - is just too "soft and lofty for the field" to be effective, given the red tape, too many requirements for qualifications, technicalities, procedures and compliance of sorts. A villager may not understand the dynamics of soil pH levels and water diffusion in different soil types; but any villager knows the law: that if you borrow, you repay; if you partner up, you share the profits. I was browsing to see if peanuts were a good choice for rotation (with rice) when I saw your article. And as you have rightly pointed out, the returns is the defining factor in any agricultural undertaking. Thank you and we would most welcome any word of advice from you. Wing

Hi Michael, Thank you for the informative sharing on the processes involved in VONC. May I seek your opinion on the current VONC taking place this year 2024? Do you think the VONC should take place without any hinderance? (please state your reasons)