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From dhurba devkota on The Pacific’s remittance dependence: labour out, cash in
This is an excellent fact based article.
From Naren Prasad on The Pacific’s remittance dependence: labour out, cash in
Dear Deidra, Thank you very much for this generous and thoughtful comment. I’m really glad the piece resonated in Jamaica and other parts of world, because so many of the dynamics we see in the Pacific mirror what you describe. You’re absolutely right: the central question is how small island states make staying a real, dignified option by creating environments where opportunity, fairness, and confidence in the future exist at home. Jamaica’s experience reinforces the point that remittances can ease hardship, but they cannot substitute for development. Until we are honest about that distinction, we risk managing symptoms rather than addressing causes. I appreciate you bringing the Caribbean perspective into this conversation. These shared experiences across regions are exactly what can help us rethink the development choices facing small states.
From Naren Prasad on The Pacific’s remittance dependence: labour out, cash in
Dear Farzana. Thank you for putting it so clearly, and for naming the uncomfortable truth. I completely agree: the real issue is not migration itself, but the quiet acceptance that exporting people can substitute for building institutions, services, and opportunity at home. You’re right that, in the Pacific, migration is as much a political and moral signal as an economic one. People are looking for countries that are fair, predictable, and dignified, places where effort leads somewhere. This is natural and understandable. Rebuilding domestic capacity, fair wages, skills retention, and institutional trust is not anti-migration at all. It is about restoring choice. The real failure is not that people leave, but that staying is no longer imagined as viable. Thank you for engaging so thoughtfully with the argument, this is exactly the conversation we need.
From Naren Prasad on The Pacific’s remittance dependence: labour out, cash in
Dear Mypursu, Thank you for your excellent comment. I give credit to you for capturing the core argument far better than I can have summarise it myself. I fully agree that remittances are the oxygen of many Pacific economies (essential for survival) but oxygen alone cannot build muscle, institutions, or confidence. What worries me most is the fatalistic approach of our leaders who let this bleeding continue, and on the contrary celebrate the amount of money sent by the hardworking migrants. I completely agree that rebuilding opportunity, dignity, and hope at home is the durable way forward. But what we do with the remittance money sent home. Thank you again for engaging so seriously with the piece, this is precisely the kind of conversation the Pacific needs.
From Mahendra Prasad Yadav on The Pacific’s remittance dependence: labour out, cash in
Your article perfectly captures the crossroads the Pacific is currently facing. You are right to challenge the 'quiet resignation' that has set in regarding labor mobility. By framing remittances as a 'structural warning' rather than a success metric, you strip away the complacency that often masks domestic decline.
I am especially compelled by your suggestion to turn remittances into investment through diaspora bonds and matched savings. You have laid out a clear choice: we can either continue exporting our people or we can follow the path of Singapore and Mauritius by giving them reasons to stay. Thank you for reminding us that a future worth staying for is a choice, not a miracle.
From Peter Nukunts on Tribute to PNG’s John Waiko: scholar and politician
He was a very distinguished Academic who imparted knowledge and touched lives of people in many ways. A complimentary chapter was a Political Career after Academia. He was Cabinet Minister and history will definetly reward him the front row Seat for his role in the movies, his contributions to PNG Politics and Academia in PNG. May his soul rest in eternal peace.
From Farzana Gounder on The Pacific’s remittance dependence: labour out, cash in
The uncomfortable truth-that no country has built prosperity by exporting its people, needs to be said. In Pacific contexts, remittances are often celebrated as success even as institutions thin, public services weaken, and confidence in domestic futures erodes. Migration here is not just an economic calculation but a political and moral one: people are seeking systems that feel fair, predictable, and dignified, not simply higher wages. Rebuilding domestic capacity, fair wages, skills retention, and institutional trust is not anti-migration but pro-choice, because the real failure is not that people leave, but that staying is no longer imagined as viable.
From linus digim'Rina on The UPNG student body: regional and gender composition
This is a lovely fresh piece of information even if only being indicative. This fondly reminds me of UPNG's student records section publishing in A2 size coffee table booklets showing student enrollments by province, gender, religion and even ethnicity. (I still have a copy to myself.) On this basis, this snapshot study might be helped with some quick comparisons between the decades or universities and colleges from elsewhere in the country. Also, high figures for the highlands region is likely a reflection of the population density and size, and is of no surprise really.
From Michael on The dire situation of South Sudan: millions pushed into catastrophe
It is sad to read about South Sudan’s plight. Whilst donor assistance is important, it wouldn’t make sense if waring groups continue to target volunteers and facilities funded by donors. An UN Peacekeeping Mission is probably needed. It seems like there’s no appetite for such interventions globally now, but we cannot watch lives being lost, and call for more donor support whilst nothing is being done about the groups that target both donor initiatives and recipients.
From Deidra on The Pacific’s remittance dependence: labour out, cash in
Naren, this is an excellent article. It gets down to the root of the issue and forces us to contemplate how do small island developing States such as ours, make it attractive for citizens to stay. How do we successfully create that enabling environment for true development? You have highlighted well some of the arguments that have come to the forefront here in Jamaica as your assessment of remittances is spot on and applicable to many of our countries which share similar experiences. Until we change our position or views on remittances, and see it for what it really is, we will continue to grapple with the social and economic consequences of dependency on remittances.
From Chowdhury Dilruba Shoma on Gendered differences in students’ attitudes to gender
While this is a micro-level observation, it carries significant weight given that current students at the School of Business and Public Policy at the University of Papua New Guinea have the potential to serve the nation in various fields in future. “Gendered differences in responses were also found in other areas. 92% of female students, but only 76% of male students, agreed that women can do the same kind of job that a man can do”. Although there persists a substantial gender gap, the acceptance rate of 76% among men showed a positive trend, despite the high rate of gender violence (40% in urban areas and 38% in rural areas) in the country’s context - Geejay P. Milli's (2020) data reminds us that “not all men are violent – but PNG is not safe for women”. The question now is, of the 76% supportive male students, how many of them would respond positively to self-employment versus traditional wage employment. More importantly, future surveys need to fill this gap and clarify whether these young males are interested in seeing women as equal partners in entrepreneurship or are interested in keeping them confined to established corporate roles.
From Jahongir on The Pacific’s remittance dependence: labour out, cash in