Comments

Thank you for this insightful piece Anna. Ol toktok blong you oli true tumas.

Great article! Articulates so well the intricacies of working in these conduit roles and in discussing leadership for social change.

Brilliant article, Anna. You've reminded many of us aspiring useful outsiders to pay attention and to think carefully before wading in. And you're absolutely right to highlight the risk of de-localising. Genuinely locally driven reforms start, but oftentimes end up being distorted as resources and agendas, well-meaning though they might be, flood in from external sources. Really important messages.

Thanks for your frank, compelling and important articulation of what is required from us, outsiders who aim to assist and support nation building in countries which are not ours. I have long felt that humility is a much under-valued characteristic in our work, and of developmental work in most contexts. And I love the link to Chamorro-Premuzic.

Nice one Anna.

COVID-19 is responsible for at least 3 million excess deaths in 2020. As of 31 December 2020, covid19 had infected over 82 million people and killed more than 1.8 million worldwide. There is only one hope to fight corona: vaccine.

Why start your time series at Independence? Convenience-for what? Intellectual rigour-hardly? Availability of information-hardly? The predominance of economists on the research panel-most with limited published research on the economic history of PNG? Apart from information available in ANU libraries, there is the National Library, the National Archives and inter-library loan as well as any number of people living in Canberra with personal collections of information that include the pre-Independence period, which could be utilised for a more substantial `history'. Is this time series serious research or just another piece of cherry picking like so many previous accounts of PNG, including on agriculture and other aspects of `economic history'?

Very useful article. Relevant information provided. More articles of this nature would give assurance of a brighter future for education sector.

Big thanks to the authors for discussing the matter. The obvious reform required is a partial or a total sale of PPL. The same can be said about the telecommunication and the water sectors. One may argue that many Papua New Guineans would face affordability issues as private companies focus on profitability. However, these can be addressed through the establishment of price regulation, where possible.

In addition to my earlier comment I wish to add that the Fiji Ministry of Health has just confirmed that a 15 year old girl died of covid-19.

While I find that it is important that Fiji makes further progress with vaccination it will not achieve herd immunity. In New Zealand scientific calculations assume that herd immunity can be achieved only if 97 percent of population is fully vaccinated. All over the world many scientists even doubt that herd immunity is possible. Israel, which had been the first country that was considered to have achieved herd immunity, has a new wave of cases now with hundreds of new infections daily. Restriction that were relaxed / abolished were brought in again. . In Fiji in the end some 65 percent of the population will be fully vaccinated, this is about in October. 35 percent will be unprotected (all those under 18 years). Once vaccination drive has been completed fully and successfully children and teenagers will still be exposed to the virus. So far nobody appears to bother about this huge challenge exposing young people to a severe health risk. Vaccination is certainly important, but other restrictions as well and here the Fiji government appears too negligent. I have seen pictures from European lockdowns. Streets were empty, people were keeping required distancing. I had asked my wife to bring me some photos from Suva market last Saturday and it appears like a 'normal' Saturday, heaps of people, no required distance and the only thing authorities seem to bother is, if people are wearing face marks. This is certainly important, but more needs to be advised. The force to get vaccinated appears to me to be against the Constitution. I am against such violation of constitution, also because it does not help to create herd immunity. Vaccination provides personal protection, but does not appear to be a strong measure to secure public health (protect the public from covid-19). In my reading the Constitution is clear. I know that politicians with the help of lawyers can water down the clearest rules, so I would not wonder, if this can happen also here. The constitution says (among others): 11. [...] (3) Every person has the right to freedom from scientific or medical treatment or procedures without an order of the court or without his or her informed consent, or if he or she is incapable of giving informed consent, without the informed consent of a lawful guardian. This cannot be changed easily. Also OHS law cannot be above the constitution. 2.—(1) This Constitution is the supreme law of the State. (2) Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, any law inconsistent with this Constitution is invalid to the extent of the inconsistency. (3) This Constitution shall be upheld and respected by all Fijians and the State, including all persons holding public office, and the obligations imposed by this Constitution must be fulfilled. (4) This Constitution shall be enforced through the courts, to ensure that–– (a) laws and conduct are consistent with this Constitution; (b) rights and freedoms are protected; and (c) duties under this Constitution are performed. (5) This Constitution cannot be abrogated or suspended by any person, and may only be amended in accordance with the procedures prescribed in Chapter 11.

Mereoni I think the best response I can make to your request for assistance is to suggest that you contact the National Employment Centre in Suva. You should ask to speak to a NEC staff member involved with the Pacific Labour Scheme to find about jobs for aged care support workers in Australia. The job opportunities in Australia may be limited at present due to COVID-19 border restrictions and the COVID-19 outbreaks in Sydney and parts of Fiji.