Comments

This is a very interesting view. As a Papua New Guinean, I’ve been silently concerned with the PNG-Bougainville post-referendum consultations. It is understood that these consultations will follow the Melanesian Way, very much described in this article. The issues at stake, which will inform parliament to decide on whether Bougainville becomes independent, is too important to be discussed online. The Melanesian Way works well in a face-to-face meeting.

Sir thank you for your research into PNG Political Governance History. It has shed light into many unknown and unrecorded history of our country PNG. Please, I need a copy of election report of 1972.

Oil Palm workers on New Britain Island do NOT fly in fly out. They are nationals who live and work on estates.

Thank you. A well summarized obituary fitting the 'Sana' and the 'Lapan of Lapans' of PNG and the Pacific. Hope the future generations to come live to his dreams and follow in his dreams and foot-prints. A great man who was borned way ahead of his time that united the thousands of tribes and cultures into one nation in 1975. Farewell great man. Thanks once again.

Vanuatu has shown what good hands it is in, with leaders like Liz Pechan rising to the challenges that present during these times. Some exceptional well thought out points. Very thought provoking.

Hi Patrick WNB cases started to take off in late November and through December 2020. By end of January 2021 recorded tally was 177. To that time, majority of cases were from Talasea district with, I suspect, an oil palm fly-in-fly-out workers’ link. Then, as with Bougainville, cross-province meetings [in person, not via Zoom] to discuss emerging Covid-19 problems and solutions became initiating and spreading events. At 14 March WNB count is 195.

The Bougainville House of Representatives is mandated to make laws for the good of the people of Bougainville and for its development aspirations. My appeal to the elected representatives to the BHoR to have a thorough check on the amendment to the legislation and vote against it.

Hi Monica and Peter, I am surprised by the high count in West New Britain. No mining camps there, but there are logging companies and of course oil palm.

Learn from PNG under O’Neill days why such a move is a bad idea: when the Public Service Commission Act was amended, and politicians took control of the process, Police Commissioners were fired and hired based on their willingness to prevent the PM from being arrested.

Hi Andy, the stats for the total numbers include those of last year. The stats for the first week of March are clearly stated. Update as of 6pm, 15 March 2021: University of Goroka, Pacific Adventist University and Prime Minister & NEC Department (Manasupe Haus) on lockdown. Supreme Court and National Court on lockdown for the next two weeks. By Wednesday, NEC will give a clear direction on what the next step is. The PM has hinted a partial lockdown. Total positive cases exceeded 2, 200, with 360 reported in the last 3 days. 21 deaths attributed COVID-19. PM announced PNG entered the red-stage of its COVID-19 response. High profile cases include 12 MPs and 2 judges infected.

Andy. Total cases in 2020 (March to December) was 778. January 2021, 87 cases. February 2021, 451 cases. March 2021, 1st to 13th, 886 cases.

Thanks but I cannot agree that the Forum has been a failure nor provides any value to its members either. As a former Forum staff member, it is difficult to get the easy criticism that the Forum is only a "talk shop" and nothing more substantive and little to offer in terms of trade or aid agreements. Through the Forum and its processes, there have been some important developments in fisheries, climate change/disaster response and improving regional cooperation to COVID-19 that show the value of the body to the region. In terms of funding, the Forum is a common entry point for development partners such as the EU and it save a lot of time in consultations for better access. It has an important coordination role amongst the other regional agencies and balances out some of the agency mission creep that occurs from time to time (driven often by donor funding). Fewer members can only lead to further shopping around by marginal development partners looking for short-term engagements. The value of a regional plan is a hard sell for but the review of the Pacific Plan and the introduction of the Framework for Pacific Regionalism has been important in focusing the political imperative for a region whose voice on critical issues such as oceans and climate change are strongest when combined and programmes more easily developed. It is also important to recall that with the problems faced by the Forum when Fiji was excluded from Forum activities and the development of the PIDF had many commentators writing the Forum off. Regardless of the changes, it has stayed the course and the reforms and changes developed by the outgoing SG in terms of finance and decision making can only make the Pacific cause stronger and clearer. Lastly, the common issues that bind the region will ensure that all the Pacific will remain united on many issues in the future.