Comments

Thank you Yauka, that's an insightful and interesting comment. Thanks again. Terence

Thanks for this, agree with some of your observations. The large number of candidates entering the race in certain electorates tends to be indicative of 'poor performance at electoral levels' by the incumbents (that's my reading). But also, despite serious allegations of corruption hanging over them, locally perceived strong performers at electoral levels tend to enjoy strong support at local/electorate levels although, at the national level, they may be unwanted. This scenario tends to feed into the MP's desire to keep the slush/DSIP funds as they have been using these funds extensively to shore up support than to trigger sustainable economic and social development in the districts. Indeed, DSIP funds have also created a patron-clientele environment in PNG and may also be responsible for the mayhem and violence triggered across the country (clients don't want to lose their 'feeding hand') . But I should also admit that DSIP has by-passed the inept public service with its red tape and delivered many services around the country so it's a mixed result but my worrying points are 1) the issue of DSIP funds primarily being used to shore up political patronage/support and 2) DSIP as the 'dark hand' that may be fueling the violent scenes around the country ie DSIP creating a patron-clientele culture/environment.

Hi Satish, Kiribati is rated by both the World Bank and the ADB as a fragile state -- this means by their assessment it one of the worst governed countries in the world. The TB and diabetes outcome was presented as a striking outcome measure. I can see that diabetes is more difficult to control, but, with better governance, Kiribati could definitely have much lower TB.

Thanks for this piece Sadhana and Stephen. I think that describing Kiribati as "one of the worst governed in the world" is harsh, and use of the prevalence of TB and diabetes as your measure of governance misplaced. Kiribati would outrank many of it's peers in terms of control of corruption, levels of transparency, and the application of the rule of law - the norms used to quantify levels of governance.

Very informative.

Politicians invariably consider political instability a major concern, at least while they're holding office. Clearly, if trying to retain or gain government costs major public funds, as may occur around votes of no confidence, that's certainly a matter of major public concern. However, what should be of more concern is policy stability than political stability, and the two don't necessarily coincide, as well, of course, whether policies are actually applied in practice, and the suitability of the policies.

Most importantly, a hard yank on the fiscal levers now with large cuts to government expenditure in the guise of austerity will only exacerbate the sufferings of the people. This will risk another round of protests that the architects of the reform must consider when devising the plans for economic stabilization and recovery.

Thanks for the data, it is a pretty sorry situation. A 10 per cent target would be a good starting point. So many great women in the Pacific but they have so little representation.

Thanks for this analysis. US China rivalry seems to be the only prism outsiders can view the Pacific through. Time for a much more respectful interaction, and supporting Pacific nations' own concerns and arrangements.

A superb article. Comparisons with Sri Lanka have been made in the Pacific but quickly rejected by some of our analysts. In some respects Sri Lanka is a different kettle of fish but some parallels are quite chilling, not the least because they seem to have become normalised in some regional countries: - Ministers with entourage of ‘yes-men’; with few true advisors, as most ministers did not wish to be corrected/discuss substance - Senior government officials overwhelmingly male still in the dark ages with contempt for women - Sexism and segregation of women in politics/parliament , leadership, and economic life - Anti-Western propaganda in human rights, freedom of expression, media rights, corruption and China issue - Politicians eager to accept easy loans from China - shun western aid which come with conditions - Borrowing unsustainably to build infrastructure - Pork-barrelling - Control media with sticks and carrots and and retain a high media profile - Brain drain due to strongman politics, anti-Western bluster and social sexism Some Pacific countries should take a good look at Sri Lanka. The same goes for some Pacific analysts.

Senator Penny Wong and other ministers have confirmed today that the Telstra purchase of Digicel's Pacific arm has now been finalised.

So interested to know about how the devolved funding is diverted to bring expected outcomes to meet the needs and wants of the citizens of PNG.