Put the interest of our nation first. Provide critical analysis and alternative solutions to assist our government of the day solve the current socio-economic problems. Rather than continuing uttering pessimistic, naive and rhetoric views in the cyber space domain. Use your skills and knowledge as professionals and private citizen to contribute positively and be the change that you want to see in Papua New Guinea.
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Commentary by freelance journalist Paul Maima
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What has been damaged needs to be fixed. A patient prescription is not changed. Different doctors can attend to him or her to ensure the disease is arrested and the concern person healed.
This week I travelled in a PMV bus from the village to Port Moresby. The driver picked up a young school age boy who was very sick.
Their parents and relatives helped him into the bus. The driver rushed him, on a 40 minutes drive to Port Moresby General Hospital.
We stopped in front of the Emergency and helped him to the hospital, to get medical attention.
I did not actually know the nature of the sickness but as he was crying in pain, we really felt the emotions in seeing the child. As it was still in the morning, many passengers in the bus were going to work. But couldn’t allow the bus to stop as that would cause inconvenience to the patient needing immediate medical attention.
We sympathise with the sick child and in good Faith, the driver did a fantastic job to arrive on time at the hospital.
Such experience can resonate to the great Challenges that we are facing in PNG.The current driver of our country is, Prime Minister James Marape and his Government.
They are stirring a bleeding economy, inheriting debt over many years of borrowing, recession, deficit budget, inflation, overseeing deteriorating infrastructure and managing a complacent public service machinery.
As a responsible government, many of these challenges are analysed with critical measures to addressed it.
James Marape was elected as our 10th Prime Minister through a successful vote of no- confidence in 2019. And then won the absolute majority in the 2022 General Elections through the PANGU Party.
They performed very well in the elections to win 37 candidates, amongst the 52 Political Parties that contested in the general elections. He won the Political leadership trust in two fold legally.
Mandated through the democratic process of the West Minister system of governance.
Firstly on the floor of Parliament, through the vote of no- confidence.
Secondly through the National Election process and invited by the Governor General to form the Government, through the Organic Law on the Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates(OLIPAC).
The PANGU Marape- Rosso government is constitutionally mandated to serve the Public office and the people of Papua New Guinea, in the next five years 2022- 2027.
As our National Constitution allow providence to test any mandated Prime Minister after 18 months in office, through a vote of no- confidence.
A very significant event on the calendar of PNG politicians five years term in Parliament.
A serving Prime Minister is always aware of that to ensure his coalition party in Government are in the loop for equitable distribution of the Cabinet Ministries, Parliamentary Chairmanship roles, Government Development grants/funds and participation in policies for a broader national development.
Sir Imabake Okuk tested the first vote of no – confidence in 1980 and remove Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare as Prime Minister. Julius Chan become the Prime Minister and Okuk, Deputy Prime Minister.
Other successes were in November 1985 (Paias Wingti overthrowing Somare) and July 1988 (Rabbie Namaliu replacing Wingti).
These changes involved new combinations of parties in government and MPs switching parties, also known as ‘yo-yo’ politics (May 2008: 92).
Two governments were changed in the 1990s due to fears of defeat in no-confidence votes.
Prime Minister Wingti resigned in August 1993 in a ploy to extend his grace period by 18 months. In 1994 the Supreme Court declared his re-election the following morning illegal, precipitating a vote in which his deputy, Chan, once again became PM.
In mid-1999, PM Bill Skate resigned just before an expected no confidence vote, and Sir Mekere Morauta succeeded him as PM. Such fears persist today.
A further change of government occurred when PM Somare was ousted on 2 August 2011 after many MPs and ministers from the ruling coalition crossed the floor to join the opposition, and Parliament elected Peter O’Neill to lead a new government (May 2011).
The Supreme Court later declared the parliamentary vote that ousted Somare—because of his allegedly unapproved absence from Parliament—unconstitutional, a ruling that Parliament ignored.
( International IDEA: Ministerial durations in Papua New Guinea, 1972- 2012)
Peter O’Neill got a taste of his own medicine in 2019 through a successful vote of no- confidence in his government, when he was ousted as Prime Minister and James Marape, a former Finance Minister and Leader of the Government Business succeeded as the new Prime Minister.
National Alliance Party( NA) reign for 9 years ended in 2011. Peoples National Congress Party( PNC) reign for eight years ceased in 2019.
PANGU Party took the nation to political Independence in 1975 by founding father of our nation Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare.
Now under the current leadership of Prime Minister James Marape, the PANGU led government will soon be turning four years in office.
We cannot deny the fact that our country is facing huge Socio- Economic and Political challenges in our journey as a sovereign independent state since 1975.We have stood the test of times, and come this far.
Under different Prime Minister, the Government policies in addressing our development issues has been consistent with the priorities needed to be tighten up.
The foremost issue is to address PNG economic recession, which the government of the day is currently looking into. Papua New Guinea is at the cross road.
We have faced many development challenges since 1975. Although we have survived as a sovereign nation. Our freedom does not gives economic empowerment to our people.
In 1975 we had a GDP of $1.3B,per capita of $480 and growth rate of 3.7% .
1977 GDP was $1.64B, per capita at $562 and growth at 0.83%
The population in PNG was 3 million people.
In 1980s we have only one Panguna Copper mine in Bougainville. It contributes almost 80% to the National Government Budget. That paid for all Public servants salaries, roads & highways maintained, Schools, Health centres and Hospitals all up and running.
After 48 years of being an Independent state. We have expanded our Economy, through trade, industries, investment in Petroleum and extractive industries but the social development indicators are still very poor. That means our economy is directly controlled by foreigners.
A challenge that every successive government has worked to improve that imbalance.
Where did we go wrong? We must take positive measures to fix it.
Taking a glimpse at our current economy, The Nominal (current) Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Papua New Guinea is $30,633,444,295 (USD) as of 2022. Real GDP (constant, inflation adjusted) of Papua New Guinea reached $23,725,953,868 in 2022. GDP Growth Rate in 2022 was 4.60%, representing a change of 1,102,193,249 US$ over 2021, when Real GDP was $23,960,722,901.( Source: www.worldometer.infor)
Treasurer Ian Ling-Stuckey
introduced Papua New Guinea’s 2023 National Budget ‘the largest in PNG’s history’, with record total expenditure of K24.567 billion – a 10.8 per cent increase on the original 2022 Budget.
Total government revenues were also a record, at K19.582 billion – a 20.9 per cent increase on the previous year.
The Government money plan is for a population of 9,949,437 (2021)
million Papua New Guineans.
In 2021, general government revenue for Papua New Guinea was 14 billion Local Currency Unit(LCU) General government revenue of Papua New Guinea increased from 3 billion LCU in 2002 to 14 billion LCU in 2021 growing at an average annual rate of 8.68%.(Knoema Datahub 2023)
Labor force, total in Papua New Guinea was reported at 3,139,424 in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources.
Papua New Guinea – Labor force, total – actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2023.( tradingeconomics.com)
Majority of our people are rural based subsistence farmers surviving on Agriculture, fishing and engaging in entrepreneur in the private and in formal sector.
A very small portion of the country’s population is employed by the Government.
Minister Soroe Eoe in a Press statement said the current staff numbers show that at the frontline of service delivery; Teachers, Health Workers, Judges, Magistrates, Village Courts officials, Mediators, Peace officers, Police officials, Correctional officers and Defense Force Personnel have a total manpower of 103,979 of the 123,729 personnel that Department of Personnel Management (DPM)is managing through the Ascenda pay roll system and this number includes Internal Revenue Commission (IRC) and Customs officials.
This number (103,979) makes up 84% of the officers served through the Ascenda Pay Role whilst 19,750 or 16% of these officers are officers who would perform Policy and Administration role mostly in the National Agency level and Provincial &District/LLG Administration.
Over the last 10 months till now (pay 17) the number of public servants in the Policy and Administration have reduced by 5.7%, reduction of 1,202 personnel whilst officers at the frontline of service delivery had a 3% increase of 2,733 personnel on to their total work force which is a policy driven increase of staff in teachers, police, judiciary and health workers.
(www.dpm.gov.pg/ public service numbers and its wage bill: Press Statement from Hon.Soroi Marepo Eoe)
We have 155,000 Public servants in PNG that used K1 Billion in annual budget as salaries/ renumeration.
What has happened to the Public service machinery?
How efficient are they preforming to deliver government services to our people?
According to Business Advantage PNG, the vast majority of Papua New Guineans are employed in the informal sector, mainly in subsistence agriculture. Participation in the formal sector is estimated at only about 15 per cent of PNG’s total workforce.
Informal sector employment is particularly widespread in the youth population (approximately 40 per cent of Papua New Guineans are under the age of 15). Young people are under-represented in the formal sector.
According to the World Bank, those aged between 15 and 24 account for only two per cent of formal sector employment (and only 1.5 per cent in rural areas). Twice as many men as women are employed in the formal sector.
Employment in the non-resource sector has declined by 10 per cent since 2012, largely because the PNG LNG construction project concluded in 2013. Employment in the resource sector has increased, but resource sector employment makes up only about 10 per cent of total formal sector employment. Creating more employment in non-resource industries remains a challenge.
( Business Advantage PNG)
Now our Foreign debt is at K56 Billion. When and how are we going to repay that and how soon would it be?
As our future generation will be debt burden. Inheriting a problem created by irresponsible Government over the years.
We are facing economic recession. We have crisis with FOREX. Creating trade imbalance and loss in business. Affecting our Import based economy. We have to spend more Kina to purchase few Dollars in foreign exchange. Our Kina has devaluated. Resulted in high inflation in the rise of cost of living.
We are living in a harsh economic environment. Many citizens in towns and cities are digging deeper into their pockets. They don’t earn enough to buy and even save for the future.
The rise of Poverty and law & order problems can be addressed, if our Economy problems is solved.
Marape- Rosso government is taking positive approach to curb the challenges. By reducing unnecessary expenditures and increasing export values and internal revenues.
As concern citizens and professionals, contribute positively in harnessing a positive growth of our country.
The Government as the biggest employer must give opportunity to graduates and create jobs for them.
Corporate companies investing in PNG must have a share responsibility in creating job opportunities for nationals.
Job security is important for integral human development of our country.
Be an agent of change and help our country progress its development goals.
Be a participant for Change in PNG
Don’t be critical and be silent about the problem. Be optimistic and be part of the team to find solution to the Nation’s socio-economic problems.
Be creative and innovative. As employees in the public and private sectors or as graduate. Take what you have and make something out of it.
Be committed to do what God has planned to achieve in your life. And you can become the agent of Change that our country needs.
As Mahatma Ghandi said ” Be the Change that you want to see in the world.”
We must learn from our failures, challenges and missed opportunities in the last 48 years of being an Independent state.
We must work with honesty and change the destiny of our country.
Our nation has been driven on a miscalculated assumption that somebody will drive our development aspiration to success.
If we had assumed that our development plan would bring the changes that we need. Why didn’t we achieve the Key development Indicators( KPI)?
48 years has just passed us. We have lived through the future that our forefathers had dreamt of.
We must stop complain about corruption, law& Order problems, Economic recession, Government, Public Funds, etc.
We must Act.
It needs a collective efforts of every citizens, that lives in Papua New Guinea.
Lets start acting to build new Changes from the damages that was done in your district, Province and Country.
Two of the World’s Prominent leaders said and I quote.
” The future depend on what we do in the present.” Mahatma Ghandi
“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” US President John F Kennedy
As we reflect on this great statement that lives through time immortal, you can do something better for our country by planning our future and start investing in it at present.
Criticism against the government of the day continue. But that will not help solve the problems.
With the dispensation of the social media, unsubstantiated allegations has taken a new hype in dimension.
As a concern citizen you have the freedom of expression, however that must not be abused to defame and instil character assassination of mandated leaders, constitutional officer bearers and legally appointed public servants.
Be responsible and provide critical analysis solution on what you can contribute and do for your country.
As a farmer living in the hinterlands of the Highlands region, a fishermen living along the coast or islands, as an employee working in the public or private sector, as a Missionary preaching the word of God, a sportsmen and women, as an entrepreneur in the informal sector or private citizen.
We all have a responsibility to help. The nation needs your input.
Now our mandated Prime Minister is James Marape. Let him be the driver.
Lets give him the necessary support, that he needs.
To bring the much needed change that our country desires to achieve.
A change of attitude is needed. Be patriotic about the future of our nation.
A perseverance to success that must not be distorted by regionalism, ethnicity, hatred, irrespective of religion, colour and creed.
Together in Unity. Our land of a thousand tribes and multicultural societies can truly thrive in prosperity and live in freedom as we professed in our Christian faith in God.
“ Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Liberty” 2 Corinthians 3:17
