Comments

Thanks Amanda for your insightful article. I hope that for the benefit of the country and its population, a softer solution than deactivation, and with probably another extension, will be considered in consultation with mobile operators. GSMA has produced a substantial body of knowledge regarding do's and don'ts of mandatory SIM card registration. As I read the comments, alleviating the fears of mobile customers by putting in place robust data protection framework and transparency on how their personal data will be used is fundamental. In a country like PNG, where sometimes mobile can be the only gateway to information and long distance communication, more needs to be done to ensure the most vulnerable won't be the ones who'll pay the heftiest price.

Thanks, Nicola, for your reflections! There was some discussion on your post at the #AdaptDev Discussion group, which may be interesting for readers (and yourself, Nicola, if you didn't see it): https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/adaptdev/4K2wiMssRwo

Excellent views, and such a beautiful way to express them! I am also of the same view: that we need to think differently about what we mean by gendering development. This paper might be of interest? Lahiri-Dutt, Kuntala. 2017. Thinking ‘differently’ about a feminist critical geography of development, Geographical Research, 58(3): 326-331.

Everything is possible to do. The land will be utilised in some way that can contribute and enhance the nation of Kiribati, including neighbours.

It is not wasted. God has a plan for each one of us, and if the land belongs to Kiribati, they're meant to be there. There is another purpose that we do not know, and Solomon Islanders will be part of the plan towards the better life, I think. That is my opinion

Nice blog post, poor regulation due to an under-funded and corrupt regulating agency isn't new. Shedding light on this is crucial to SIA obtaining consideration and financial assistance. I'm curious, would the period 2014-2018 also show a doubling in crime rates, as it does a doubling in security guard licensing?

Thank you Professor Howes for this insightful, clear and helpful summary of the situation. It is concerning that politicians are willing to make statements that bear no relation to the truth. This makes it difficult for the average citizen to understand what is really going on. Thanks again, Amanda. Dr Amanda H A Watson

Not a surprise, frankly. The fault is in the KPIs of these donor institutions. I would not be surprised if they got entry to your two organisations through the people that were poached with the promise of lucrative jobs. Once the specific project was completed and KPIs met, the concerned were whisked away onto the donors' lucrative payroll and your oragisations left to fend for themselves! Not very unusual, unfortunately. Juliet's poem says it all!!

Hi Rosemary, thanks for your comment. As pointed out earlier today by Ronny Kareni, what happens next month may be indicative of what we can expect later in the year, if anything: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/RegularSessions/Session43/Pages/OrderOfDay.aspx

For many years, I had a great poster above my desk, produced by an East Sepik women’s group: “Why should we take the advice of someone who does not have to live with the consequences of that advice?”

Yes the better quality of care is very important for patients especially older ones. So palliative and hospice care are great options for patients.

Greetings from Adelaide, Tess Re West Papua Quotable Quote: 'This includes a strong signal from leaders that they expect the government of Indonesia to facilitate a visit to the region by Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in order for her office to report to leaders when they meet this year in Port Vila.' I would like to see that and the sooner the better! However, I will not hold my breath bearing in mind that as an Australian who cares about human rights, the rule of law and fairness I have difficulty in understanding how General Wiranto, appointed by Joko Widodo, can possibly be in a position to settle historic human rights abuses in West Papua, when the United Nations in February 2003 indicted the same man, General Wiranto, Indonesia's former armed forces commander and commanding officer in East Timor in 1999, for crimes against humanity during East Timor's bloody vote for independence. It is recorded that 1000 people died; 250,000 others were forced to flee their homes and 80% of the nation’s infrastructure was destroyed. (The TNI had already wiped out about a 1/3 of East Timor’s population in its brutal and barbaric 24-year illegal occupation of the tiny nation.) General Wiranto was regarded as the officer principally responsible for the bloodletting that swept the former Indonesian territory during the UN-sponsored referendum.