Comments

A very inspiring article about the road maintenance and its growing economy needs. Thanks for sharing such informative article.

Thank you Jeremy for the comment containing your useful insights and a link to a recent report. Thank you David for your comment. While we have not undertaken detailed research in Australia, we do know that penetration is over 100% (in other words, there are more active mobile phone numbers than there are people in Australia). This situation is similar to Korea. According to World Bank 2017 data for mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) (see https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IT.CEL.SETS.P2?view=chart), Korea has 125 mobile phones in use per 100 people and Australia has 113. Please note that the Papua New Guinea figure in this dataset is too high. For more accurate information and recent figures for PNG, see https://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/resources/digital-transformation-the-role-of-mobile-technology-in-papua-new-guinea/ Yes, the algorithms are calculating what advertisements to send to you, based on your previous searches. And yes, your location is generally known if you are using a smartphone, although this depends on your settings. Amanda and Kyung

It is really good to see health staff in the Solomon Islands pinpointing the issues which are caused by mismatches between donor priorities and national priorities, also the clash between planning and doing. Implementation is where most strategies go wrong and unspent budget is a common indicator of too much planning and not enough doing. Congratulations on speaking out. I am a PhD student researching children's environmental health and hope to make the Solomon Islands my focus. I am now wary of taking up your time as 'yet another' researcher. Do you have any suggestions? Claire

Thanks Amanda and Kyung. To add to the discussion of PNG, in Bougainville - an autonomous region preparing for a referendum on complete independence - the population of 300,000+ has just 35,000 active mobile phone users. While recent research* suggests people have far higher ownership of (2G/3G) handsets, the Digicel network (the sole provider across much of the region), does not meet the demand. The deteriorating network is due to a mix of factors of rugged geography and atolls, maintenance, and land/payment issues where community members sometimes destroy towers/equipment due to disputes of differing beliefs about the benefit of access to a mobile network . This, in a region without radio coverage outside urban areas, is perhaps another live example of a: "...lack of connectivity and a paucity of accurate, recent information are threatening the social and economic development of rural areas. Another view is that capabilities to communicate and to access information are fundamental rights in and of themselves, denied to people in places or situations where such services are unavailable or unattainable." More can be found on the ICT divide in the Bougainville Audience Study - phase 2, http://www.abg.gov.pg/reports

Thanks Amanda. I agree, the session at the PNG update was excellent.

Thanks for that, Amanda. I wonder where Australia sits. I have a cheap Nokia, and it seems to do a good smartphone job as long as I knock out unused apps and files. Seems like its storage capacity is its chief shortcoming. Other than that, I keep being amazed by its ability to give me information wherever I am. I go for a walk and listen to a podcast, or Spotify, or whatever. I reckon we are spoiled. But there's a downside: I reckon 'they' target me for ads based on my searches, and 'they' always seem to know where I am. Is this so? Your thoughts please.

Thank you for this very interesting and clearly written blog post. As was emphasised at the PNG Update conference held at UPNG last week in a session chaired by Professor Stephen Howes and featuring several speakers including Mr Chris Hoy, randomised control trials are very valuable. It is great to learn here of another example of how this method can be applied in the Pacific. Thanks again, Amanda 🙂

That's right! But can there be an appropriate situation raised to solve the issue of such irresponsible teachers who are not actually working on the promised task that they once sign up to do or carry out the task effectively, wholeheartedly and efficiently? This lies to such ignorant public servants of today's life.

Thanks Darcy. Blockchain technology was brought to life when I was doing some review work for DFAT in the Rohingya refugee camps near Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh last month. The World Food Program is using its blockchain expertise to record the biometric identities for approximately one million refugees, as well as procurement and distribution of food and gas. There are significant benefits, on top of measurable savings in transaction costs. Visible and practical examples like this help to promote coordinated government policy in the application of blockchain technology.

Kiribati has complained the loudest about climate change, being in the frontline of global warming effects at it is, so what is the carbon footprint of tourism and will Kiribati sink even faster under the weight of increased arrivals in future, that is, if investors take the risk to develop the industry in the first place, given all the dire predictions about a nation sinking into oblivion? Then there are all the pollution problems that the author alludes to, such as a heavily-polluted lagoon and waste and sewage disposal issues, not mention water shortages. What about all the extra plastic bottles, cans and other waste products generated by a thriving tourism industry? Where will they go? Will investors develop proper disposable methods or will the waste end up in the sea? How to ensure an equitable distribution of income from increased tourism? What’s the risk of the people being saddled with the problems associated with increased tourism, including increased damage to their most valuable resource of all, the ocean, while the tourism operators cream all benefits? Is a bigger tourism industry really in the best interests of the people of Kiribati? Or are they better off without it?

The mere fact of having a vision like this is inspiring for other Pacific island countries. It is clear and moral. People need to support the vision and not pin all their hopes to one person. It’s exciting and it’s teamwork. He finds himself in an extremely hard postion and needs support

Thanks Bal for this piece with highlights of the new PM for PNG. While it is true in Melanesian society to give the speeches (more talks) before distributing pork in every ceremony, it is actions that speak louder in modern Melanesian society. PMJM has made so many notable speeches when he made a break away from then PM O’Neill’s Finance Ministry, during the campaigning for a change of government and after he was elected the 8th PM for PNG. Now we look forward to his actions to put into effect his words (speeches), however we begin to see the other side of his talks with his actions. With the recent state visit to Australia, he made a presentation at the Lowy Institute, stating that PNG will be self reliant in the next 10 years. In the following week, the PM asked China to bail PNG out from the K27 billion debts. Would this approach to China make PNG self-reliant? It's now the new JM’s government running the affairs of PNG, and we have not seen much changes to key institutions of governments and agencies. Many department heads thought to be corrupt are still there - not sure if they will take back PNG. Some corrupt politicians still get ministries - not sure if they will take back PNG. Only one department has began the move towards taking back PNG, and that is the Police department with the new Minister. Now with the much talked about UBS saga, the former Chief Justice who presided over the former PM O’Neill’s warrant of arrest case is appointed to head the COI - not sure we can expect a better outcome. We will continue to take every word from PMJM and evaluate his actions, the Melanesian way.