NEW Ireland Governor Sir Julius Chan says a review on the foreign policy paper is timely as it would chart the next course of the country.
He said all foreign policies of past are still relevant today including the country’s Independence ‘Universalism’ Foreign policy of ‘Friends to all, enemies to none.’
However, Sir J said each country has the right to safe guard its interests as a sovereign nation, thus fine tuning its foreign policy to suit its people and country is a necessity.
“For New Ireland it’s even more important because we host two foreign operated mines, our Airport is of international standard and is already landing B737 Aircrafts and private jets belonging to A list Hollywood celebrities.
“We aim to bring in the big 767 in the future.
“Our tourism sector is set to grow and being a maritime province, we are heavily investing in the fisheries sector, therefore, we need a strong National Foreign policy to protect our interests but also bring investor confidence to our shore.”
Sir J also stated that the policy must also take into consideration autonomy arrangements of the provinces such as decentralization of powers as the way of the future.
“We must respect the diversity of our provinces, if we don’t change our governance systems now, then we could see the altering of our cultures.”
Sir J made these remarks earlier this week during a meeting with Ambassador Gabriel Dusava and former High Commissioner to United Kingdom Ms. Winnie Kiap.
Ambassador Dusava and Ms. Kiap visited Sir J as one of the Papua New Guinea’s foreign policy founders to gauze his views on the review of the Foreign policy white paper.
Ambassador Dusava told Sir J that: “You are the founding father of many things, including the current ‘Active and Selective’ Foreign policy, which is why it is only proper that a review should be sought from you.”
In his response, Sir J cited the former US President Jimmy Carter, “We must adjust to changing times and still hold onto unchanging principles.”
He said it is important for the review team to ensure that the principles of balanced diplomatic relations are at the core of the foreign policy framework.
“To keep the peace, we have to keep the ties,” Sir J said.
Another fundamental point that was raised during the discussions was the need for PNG to be more visible in the international arena as an active participant to help shine light on important issues like climate change and become a leader in contributing to rules that govern the behavior of the world.
Ms. Kiap said: “We need our parliamentary leaders to step out of their comfort zones and push important agendas on the world stage”.
Speaking from her experiences as a foreign diplomat, Ms. Kiap said leadership is key in ensuring that PNG is seen and heard globally.
The discussion than brought to light the need for proper recruitment of foreign affairs officers.
To look at the vibrancy and qualifications of the officials as representatives of the country before considering them as candidates for the world stage.
The meeting ended with Her Excellency Ms. Winnie Kiap giving a quote from Chinese philosopher Confucius “If your plan is for one year, plant rice.
“If your plan is for ten years plant trees.
“If your plan is for one hundred years educate your children.”
