Comments

Great piece Kelly. In 2020, few of my students interviewed about 100 street vendors in four bus stops (Waigani, Gordons, 4 Mile & Koki) to assess the impact of covid-19 on street vendors - after restrictions eased. The vendors mostly sold betel nut, smoke, and at the time face masks. They make a decent amount, more than the minimum wage in urban areas. And even though selling at bus stops is discouraged, they pay “tax” to the policemen and women: the police get buai from the vendors without paying for it, and turn let them sell at non-designated areas. Covid-19 restrictions meant they couldn't sell at the bus-stops, and some suffered as they rely on street sales. Others who got around the restrictions, however, made more money when the prices went as high as K10 at the height of covid 19 (I remember on particular day when gold prices collapsed below zero, my neighbours were selling one buai for K10 - buai was more expensive than gold 😂).

Namakale. It is good to see your comment. I think you are right to be concerned about the development of the Kamula Doso project area as a logging operation. From the logging that has already occurred in the region it seems that landowners have not received many of the benefits they might have expected.

Namkale. Good to see you responding on this blog. If the only option for the development of the Kamula Doso project area is to log it then past experience of logging in the region suggests that landowners will receive a poor return. There must be a better way for landowners to make some money out of their forests.

Thanks for information. Very interesting. I have been working in Australia for almost 4 years with the PLS program.

True indeed.

Wisa Susupie, has a chairman of TTDL for Kamula Doso project area, I understand where PNG Forestry Authority coming in and also promoting FMA in Kamula Doso Forest area, now is the time we landowners raise our hands up and say, hi what you guys doing is not right, and we are raising our hands for win win benefits, not win and lose benefits since logging started in PNG, none of landowners communities were undeveloped.

Great Job done. this book really fills the Gap of Old Social Sciences, as this book is aligne with the contrary society of this Morden times. However, special thanks and appreciate you all for your contribution in preparing this educational tool for we Papua New Guinean future policy Makers and Political leaders or the Citizens.

Great achievement through Community based development is very important and special way in serving communities in the rural areas of Papua New Guinea and I am greatly in support and congratulate you all for your contribution in every capacity

Banking the unbanked and reducing fees and charges has perennially been the complaint levelled at the commercial bank sector in PNG. The greatest challenge facing banking institutions is the cost of providing such services and mitigating associated risks. Over the decades innumerable attempts were made to bring banking services to rural people. But the long history of bricks and mortar banking outside major centres has proven beyond all doubt to be the place where banks go to die. Alternatively, it would greatly benefit rural populations if the government were to facilitate the widespread uptake of electronic banking services by enabling reliable signal coverage and band width at low cost to end users throughout the length and breadth of the country. There is also the fact that historically, interference in the banking sector is legendary. I am familiar with the entity that was PNGBC in the 1990s. What on paper should have been the engine room for economic growth was sadly a constant target for interference, graft and corruption. I well remember the challenges in the early 90’s faced by Sir Mekere as MD and later in 2000 as PM when he reached the conclusion that privatisation was the only option remaining to save PNGBC. Quite why the great and good in halls of parliament have forgotten these painful lessons is for them to explain. Sir Mek’s reference to “sticky fingers” should remain their constant warning.

Hello Andrew, I read with interest your write up; 'undoing sir M......' It is interesting and relevant information for me working with the PNG Institute of Directors.

For Change and Challenge. Very good post. Amenewere.

Hi Stephen. The special agricultural and business lease (SABL) was granted to local landowner company Tumu Timber Development Ltd (TTDL) in 2009. The directors of TTDL were then divided in their support for the two development proposals made by Australian investors Neville Harsley and Kirk Roberts. Harsley was the one who arranged the grant of the SABL, while Roberts was the one who was proposing a forest carbon (REDD) project. Rimbunan Hijau was not involved at that juncture. The directors of TTDL are now divided in their support for a logging project or a forest carbon project, so history is repeating itself.