Comments

Thanks Terence for the article. Women in politics is a topic of lengthy discussion and rightly so in many quarters. The affirmative argument has gone past the issue being a mere democratic choice argument (assuming the 'choice' is inherently discriminatory) to calling for guaranteed seats in PNG. In such reflection though, it seems, little is mentioned about PNG's liberal political history where the country, in its first election in 1977, had three women elected. More so, Mrs Nahau Rooney was given one of the most senior ministerial position (only a few years after Independence) - as Minister for Justice and Attorney General - a feat not many democracies in the world, including Australia or USA, can boast about. Important insights can be drawn from historical reflection, perhaps to suggest hope in the debate of women in politics.

Democracy or not, China has witnessed rapid industrialization and accompanying growth in income and a commensurate decline in poverty the past three decades. I am in China now and evidence of the growth in industries, public infrastructure - the bullet trains as an example, and consumerism (foreign brands, abundant food) is all around you 24/7. But this is not for free! Air pollution in Northen China has been at a record high for the past two days. The one advantage of a centrally planned state is that these concerns are being registered and there is a determination from the center to address such 'tragedies of the commons'. Climate skeptics are likely to have less traction here than anywhere else on the planet. BTW, I saw the moon and a star (rather a planet as an astrophysicist pointed out) last night but this is a rare sight here. Hope China is able to convince the world of the need for action on the climate front.

Lovely article Susie Concise yet informative and interesting to read. I didn't realise you had found improvements in your recent trip-maybe you had something to do with that, as would having more grads out there? Proud Mum

Super interesting piece, Sue. Your findings are analogous to what I've found in the health system in the area of Myanmar I'm researching. The expectation that "all health workers had the necessary skills for managing childbirth" is deeply embedded even though the workers themselves acknowledge they don't have the skills to manage very many complications at all. I'm pleased you've been able to observe improvements in the system.

Thanks John, another good comment and very interesting to hear about the woman LLG member in Chimbu. Terence

Thanks Terence for this analysis and comments In general, people would agree that women candidates do well in the LPV system than in the FPTP system. Especially doing well with 2 and 3 preference votes. It will only take a women candidate to appeal further out and wide to all voters and be popular so that it will attract most votes. Off course other factors do contribute like education and better standing in society. In the last LLG election, one Ward council in Simbu Province gave a surprise by declearing a woman councilor after mustering 2 and 3 preference votes and withstanding the elimination. I talked to her and she said, " people thought i would not win this ward council election, many men stood, and they undermined me, but I did it with 2 and 3 votes and they lost". She will now going out to depend her seat. So, in fact LPV did change the game in some ways. Hope to see the same in the up coming 2017 PNG election.

Avery good points and agendas being discussed .My name is John Ezekiel currently studying in Divine Word University studying PNG studies and International Relations.I come from the remote highlands part of PNG and after reading this site , i would like to give a bit background of how we live in daily struggle basis. My place is a mountainous districts where 99% of the total population of 54 thousands are subsistence farmers.We do shifting cultivation and our stable food is sweet potatoes and pig is a major source of protein. Many students progress but due to school fees problems they were left home practicing illegal activities and staying nothing with no hope.They have the full potential to apply but there is no opportunity to grab.GOVERNMENT DID NOT TAKE US INTO ACCOUNT AND WE ARE STILL SUFFERING. i wonder if there is a door for such young boys and girls to go to Australia and do seasonal work and return. For more information or arrangement, call or email on my ph: 67570723337 or jezekiel@student.dwu.ac.pg so that we can help those unfortunate ones .

Thanks Ash. One of the most interesting seminars we've had this year was with Anderbrhan Welde Giorgis, who is now basically in exile from Eritrea, a country which, I learnt from meeting him, can only be described as a modern-day tragedy. In his book, Eritrea at a Crossroads, he writes of Eritrea's "infatuation with Singapore" shortly after independence. "Virtually every 'who is who' in the government and the ruling Front," he writes "visited the small island city state in the mid-1990s to observe the modus operandi of the Singaporean model, witness its achievements, and learn from its experience". (p.191). But, alas, for nothing. As Giorgis comments, with masterful understatement: "[T]he Government of Eritrea clearly lacked what it takes to implement such a model successfully, including political will, leadership quality, functional institutions, accountable and transparent public administration, meritocracy in the civil service etc,. to transform the country into an African Singapore." (p. 194). The road to development seems at once broad and narrow.

Super interesting to consider - Singapore is such an interesting case, particularly the way it has codified race and language in this very bureaucratic way in order to minimise disharmony. Imagine walking into a country like PNG and going 'you are all one of four ethnic groups now and this will dictate what language you learn and what schools you will go to.' I always found it bizarre how many small island least-developed countries (I'm thinking particularly of Timor Leste) now make goals to 'become' a Singapore (or Macau). The ZEESM project in Oecusse is reportedly being done with idea of turning the enclave into a Singapore or Macau (complete with the country's only MRI machine, which will be for 'medical tourism', not the country's own people, and a casino). Speaking with friends who were there recently after many years away, there has been no consultation with the people, the big infrastructure projects don't meet their needs and are really poorly done (already falling apart before they are even finished), and it's probably just going to be a white elephant and a huge waste of resources. I think countries forget that authoritarian development is not just charging in and doing stuff but that it also still depends on having institutions underneath the leadership that can execute the plan, and not having resources vanished away by corruption or incompetence, and people actually seeing some kind of result so that the reduction of freedom seems to have some kind of conciliatory outcome. Functional quasi-authoritarian developmental states still have some kind of good governance structures underlying them right?

Thank you Gerard, those are very good questions. My hope is that reseachers from PNG can take their own knowledge of the country and combine it with the information in the database to provide answers to important questions like the ones you raise. Terence

Thank you John, That is an excellent comment. As I said in the last paragraph of the blog, there are other areas where LPV may have had an important impact. Unfortunately, there are not good data on issues such as violence. This makes it hard for a data-oriented researcher like me to make clear claims. For this reason I really appreciate your on-the-ground insights. Thank you again. Terence

Thanks Terence for this remarkable analysis In addition, the outcomes/impacts brought about in the new LPV system is also to do with socio economic impact and votes choices and these includes; • Unlike FPTP system where candidates isolated themselves and consolidated votes along ethnic, tribal linkages and family relations are now tending to work together and foster good friendship, plan to trade LPV choices of 1, 2 and 3 votes. The vibes of working together and accepting one as the winner is very much understood and accepted among the candidates. The candidates reach out to voters where they would not to that in the FPTP system. • Unlike FPTP system where candidates create adversaries among themselves during and after the election and even broke into tribal fights and damage to properties (Highlands), is no longer happening (only some isolated cases). Under the LPV system; many warring candidates and tribes accept the election outcome and no longer take it into the battlefield. • After LPV election, normalcy resumed into the socio-economic lives of the voters, free movement of village people into towns, teachers and children go back to schools and families resumes their village chores without fear. The sense of security for lives of people is guaranteed after the election. However, what has gone worse as a result of the new LPV in the last few elections includes; • Excessive votes buying by candidates with money, the conscience of free voting with a choice of 1, 2 and 3 is dictated by influence of cash handouts • Candidates are co-sponsored by other candidates with money into areas of big voting base where it seen as a threat to the sponsor. Purposely to re-distribute the base votes so that majority votes did not go to one candidate but shared among 2 or more candidates. The exercise of free votes is not there but subject to undue influence by candidates whose real intention is not to win but weaken other potential candidates’ majority votes in the area. These are points that you can actually see it at play during election times, changes as a result of the LPV system.