Comments

Thanks Bal Your account of the PM case is very informative that even a lay man can draw his/her own conclusion. It was a case unprecedented in the history of PNG. It can be well explained in the context of traditional PNG way how problem is created and how one goes to the extreme of protecting him/herself and their clan or tribes. Relating to your commentary: The setbacks faced not only by ITFS team but also the owners of the public offices (PNGans) would very much like the court to consider: (1) national interest; (2) make decisions not only within the confine of the letter of law but beyond within the spirit of the law; (3) seriously consider prevailing circumstances of the events that unfold in the spirit of neutrality vs apprehension of biasness and (4) public institutions are for everyone’s benefit and not for one or a few individuals. All in all, justice should prevail in all courses. What is known in the public domain with regard to your account are; 1. Police Commissioners-the preceding and current were purposely appointed to disrupt and dismantle the Police Fraud Squad Office which was working directly with ITFS 2. The former AG was suspended and a new one appointed purposely to protect the NEC Chairman and the question of brief out to private lawyers by ITFS would not succeed 3. The NEC decision to disband ITFS and not to be reviewed by court was not for communal/national interest but to serve one or few individuals 4. In the public institutions those officers trying to serve or contribute to justice are seen to be given marching orders and where instances of biasness arose they tended to be getting permanent stay While we respect all court decisions on the case with PM, we would like to see the honorable court of this lands fully exercise its inherent power to do justice in circumstances where injustice would otherwise arise.

Bal, very good analytical paper. Well done. Legislative and institutional reforms are required, as you rightly pointed out, if PNG is serious in fighting against corruption and rid it to make way for genuine development . Police Commissioner's terms, for instance, should be legislated properly so that he/she serves without fear or favor. The police force's constitutional mandate is to preserve peace & good order in the country and enforce the laws in an impartial and objective manner. The Commissioner is the head of this force and as such, his term of employment ought to protected. Only then can he be able to perform his role impartially (ethics, integrity and principles aside), and not serve a certain group of people. Appointment process and committee perhaps also needs review.

A fair and accurate summary. There is now almost no light at the end of the tunnel, and I doubt that ICAC will change that.

Hi Charlie, You raised the important social issue which the present government of Peter O'Neill and Leo Dion and are very un-precise in their political dealing with this national's future especially in regard to the land in Papua New Guinea which the indigenous peoples of this nation owns.

Camilla, that’s a very interesting pieces of interview. Others may share their views on the interview but one important concern that we can raise on RJIA project into community in Pogera or elsewhere is “sustainability” of such community project. Even if there are women volunteers breaking the barriers to promote, advocate and bring to justice the social issues, how long it can be sustained and built on is the concern. Hope Everlyne and her RJIA gets support from Laiagam Pogera DDA and the District Administration with funding and other formal support to continue their community project. Barrick Gold funding support cannot be seen as sustainable.

Hi Somandin, Thanks for your comment. You raise an important point - as more students enter primary school and then progress into secondary school, what can students expect to do once they finish grade 12? As you say, these reforms should also provide students with pathways for continued development beyond secondary school. The TFF does fund vocational education and training but as a policy it does not connect with the higher education sector. Is this "access cliff", where large numbers of secondary school leavers cannot get into university, the best approach? Open distance education will help to a degree but it is not a close substitute to direct university education as far as I can tell. Perhaps a better approach is to not completely do away with academic standards for entry to secondary school, thereby limiting numbers until the capacity of the entire education system (including universities) can handle higher growth in student numbers. There are important trade-offs that are implicitly being made in PNG's education policy. These trade-offs should be more openly acknowledged and discussed, and broad agreement reached on what is the best approach to take. Tony

in the early 1990s there were also some changes to the lower education sector. these changes includes the reform from non-formal tokples pre-school to elementary school, community school to primary school and provincial high school to secondary school. whilst the GoPNG concentrates on these reforms we forgot that the actual out put of this reforms will be the input to the tertiary education sector. after 10 years and on-wards we are seeing the effects of this reforms by having the number of our grade twelves increasing and many missing out on spaces in the tertiary education sector. with the current TFF policy and the removal of grades 8 and 10 exam will only make it more challenging for us to absorb ever increasing number of students. these reforms are not bad for the country but are things we want and planned for, but we have failed to strike a balance in reforming our tertiary education sector to match the expected outcome of our reforms. recommendation. the GoPNG should now concentrate on providing quality to the lower education sector and improve excess and quality in the higher education sector.

The highway to hell starts from paradise... Bri has a point of contention with what happened out there, but going back to PNG, we have this "block voting" active and alive, opposed to party line. Tribal, marriage, and customary alliance is still active.. minus the anticipated party manifesto. This election might go with the latter.... We hope for changes, but the current government has 'institutionalised' itself like nothing seen before. If the fraud court cases, task force sweep, student protests.... all fell shot of achieving an outcome. The chances of this government returning to form the 10th Parliament is looming.

I think there is no guarantee in funds commitment to such abrupt statements, until done otherwise. In fact, aid posts here have not dwindled but all shutdown long time ago, because of funding. If state facilities are hard to manage, church-run facilities operate better in rural settings, we just need the DSIP and PSIP monies diverted to them. In stead, the devolution of powers through the DDA Act gave open checkbooks to District Administrators and District treasurers at their disposal. Some of them leave no traces... while rural clinics remain closed.

Australia's two Parliamentary Committee reports mentioned above, recommending that our government provides additional resources for nutrition programs in the Asia-Pacific region, is indeed heartening. As with many written tomes, the words are impressive. While most lucky Ozzies - including politicians - plan Christmas dinners, those abhorrent high rates of malnutrition and stunting in our neighbouring countries' young children, should make us all determined to see those impressive words put into practice during 2017.

Well said the commentaries What the current situation at the health centres and the numerous difficulties faced by mothers and sisters in rural and urban centres are explained well by Dr Mola, the PM should read this. The idea on compulsory push for mothers to deliver babies at a health centre will not improve on maternal and child mortality rate of this country. Many socio economic policies initiated by current government already proved to fail (free health and education policy, compulsory basic education for school age kids, SME) so this proposed policy to push all pregnant mothers to a health centre for delivery is an unrealistic option. The real problem is meeting the needs of the health centres to competently deliver services and improve the health indicators envisioned by PM. Basically the PM should not think hard but categorise them into three basic approaches; (1) build health centres with adequate space & facilities, (2) upscale skills and manpower of staffing and (3) procure & supply appropriate equipment/drugs for health centre, then the PM’s dream of improving PNG maternal and child health will bear some fruits. The answer to the problem is not with Cuban doctors, do not take the fight too far into the Caribbean but back to Waigani, Treasury, Finance and to specialist like Dr Mola for advice.

Thanks Collin, I am proud to be part of the team on the ground....thumbs up!