Comments

Valid points. I totally agree with your points.

One of the issues with the current method based on population is that it doesn’t account for provinces with large land masses and scattered populations even if its less than the number required for a new district. For instance, Western Province has vast landmass, which makes service delivery challenging. The same can be said of Manus, with Islands people scattered on the many islands. New district boundaries should also consider provinces with vast boundaries even if population is relatively small.

Hi all, thanks for the comments and corrections (Francis, Amanda, and Bernard) on Kua’s party - PNG National Party, and Richard Maru’s portfolio - National Planning. A correction will be provided at the end of the blog. Thanks again.

Thank you Mr Michael Kabuni for this very interesting, insightful piece. As others have said, Hon. Richard Maru was Minister for Planning before the recent changes. He had been in the role for some time, having survived the change of Prime Minister. You mentioned the PNG Update conference held at UPNG this year, as the Prime Minister James Marape spoke on the first morning. Hon. Richard Maru spoke as then Minister for Planning on the second morning, and his well-received address is available at the same link you provided (https://devpolicy.crawford.anu.edu.au/png-and-pacific-updates/png-update). Thanks again for the helpful write-up.

Great question Matt! I also think when it comes to health security, we need to be increasing our investments to multilateral programs such as Global Fund, Global Polio Eradication Initiative and Gavi the Vaccine Alliance. I hope Australia really steps up over the coming months as these key replenishments take place. Gavi's replenishment due in June next year provides us an opportunity to show our regional leadership in ensuring every last child receives a vaccine. These programs are critical in delivering life-saving vaccines and in tacking infectious diseases: a threat that knows no border.

Good read. As pointed out by Francis, Maru was Minister for National Planning. Kua is the leader of the National Party.

Yes, that's a good point. I thought we had but didn't have the dates or amounts to hand. Was it in support of an IMF or Bank program? That was my main point: that we wouldn't lend without WB/IMF lending, and currently PNG is off-track with its World Bank program.

Mate, excellent take. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this piece.

Dear Michael Kabuni, Bro, a very useful and insightful assessment of the current coalition government. I do most certainly concur that the Prime Minister James Marape doesn't have the benefit of a strong coalition government comprised of political parties with similar party policies or party policy platforms while in the current Marape-Davies Government. The political chess-board is littered with so many "political kings" and "political queens" that one could safely describe the current political sitting arrangements as a "political marriage of convenience" on the floor of Parliament. It defies the existing political project as to how Prime Minister James Marape could politically attract such a diverse political range of Members of Parliament with very diverse and or opposing political positions into his government as we move ever so closely towards the finalisation of the 2020 Development Budget for Papua New Guinea. While there is a huge demarcation between political imaginary lines and political party lines in the political project in Papua New Guinea, that is not to say that the Marape-Davis Government isn't intact going into the 2022 General Elections. If I could highlight the political Newtonian aspect of this complex political vegetation, it is that a lot depends on James Marape and Davies Steven's political instinct and political leadership. At the end of the day, the focus is on working towards achieving the concept of "Take Back PNG". In political parlance, this is a lot like "looking for the elephant's footprints in the forest. When in reality, the elephant is at home".

A very good analysis. Only one correction. The Minister for Treasury was Hon. Sam Basil who was replaced by Hon Ian Ling Stucky. Hon Basil replaced Hon Richard Maru.

An excellent article on the importance of having clear direction as a nation. Without clear dreams, aspirations and direction, we as a nation will wallow in the mud of mediocrity and poverty. The NGDP are the original aspirations we need to recapture to move us forward. Successive governments have lost the way. Without a clear north star guiding us, we will see more rampant corruption eating away the nation's wealth. Patrick Kaiku's essay is a timely reminder, to recapture our original vision and realign ourselves so that we become a 'purpose driven' nation.

Thanks Stephen for a timely article. I guess we must remember that Australia provided short-term loans to PNG in the past; my recollections are that this was done at least twice in the last two decades, and each time the loans were repaid in full and on-time. While I stand to be corrected regarding the claims made above, assuming this request is not very different to those of the past then the risks of another loan must be low. And surely, the Commonwealth Treasury will draw lessons from the past on this.