By I came across a PDF yesterday on a posting on hiralfhere’s weblog entitled The Bipolar Pacific. Had a brief read of it last night then I saw that it was being emailed around today. You can have a sqizz here. I must say that these types of doom and gloom reports haven’t been as frequent as they used to be, so not sure if that means anything? And as always they are likely to offend but there are some truths in the report. It appears that the analysis is the basis of an upcoming book titled Aid has Failed the Pacific, which is due out sometime next year.
The authors of this analysis are an Emeritus Professor Helen Hughes who as stated in the PDF ‘is a senior fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies in Sydney. She has worked in the economics of development for many years, including a period of senior management at the World Bank followed by membership of the United Nations Committee for Development Planning. She returned to Australia to a chair in economics at the Australian National University, where she was also the executive director of the National Centre of Development Studies. She was the Distinguished Fellow of the Economics Society of Australia in 2004.’ and joining her in this report is Gaurav Sodhi a policy analyst working in economic and foreign policy.
So what of the report? Well as I said above it does have allot of truths that as uncomfortable as they are do need some serious attention. But I always believe that where there is a problem an opportunity awaits for that smart young politician, that ambitious public servant or that budding entrepreneur. For example they say access to health care is an issue, okay so where are the potential private clinics that could spring up in partnership with the Super Funds?
They say literacy rates are low, well what if you had a local private teacher in the villages who taught english and business studies? And there are many more ways we could help ourselves if we really wanted to. But again the government does need to take care of the big things.
But some points which I took clear offence to were these gems:
1. “Corrupt police frequently use regulations to knock down market stalls and the stocks of roadside betel-nut sellers when vendors do not pay them sufficient protection money. The higher profitability of illegal marijuana stalls funds their protection payments, usually protecting them from the law.”
Who the hell heard of betelnut sellers paying Police protection money??
2. “When the Australian government attempted to reduce crime levels in Papua New Guinea, leading criminals protested that it was an attack on their livelihood.”
When exactly did these criminals protest? Was it outside Parliament House or did they hold a media conference?
3. “Guest-worker schemes, which have been proposed as a development solution for the Pacific, no doubt benefit the individuals lucky enough to be selected to participate. But even high guest-worker numbers, of 50,000 a year for Australia and 25,000 for New Zealand, would not help the employment problems of Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands. Short-term migration also has costs that need to be thought about.”
Well isn’t a couple of thousands of lucky individuals from PNG working in Australia or New Zealand better than none? What short term costs are you concerned about, there is no silver bullet for development?!
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August 23, 2008 at 8:13 am
hiralfhere
Thanks bro for extending this post. This is another report from the propets of doom who have no real understanding of png ‘ples blg yumi’. 80% of the aid provided are absorbed by their so called ‘advisers’ who spent 90% of there time learning about png culture, systems and processes of government and deliver nothing.
Their sphere of influence is still at the base of the barometer.
My suggestion is for them to disect the pie and show us how much of the so called pacific aid is spent on the adviser’s accomodation, fat salary. and other associated costs. Would they be willing to show us this data?
August 24, 2008 at 9:11 pm
dtabureguci
Hi Emmanuel,
I read this report as it was also given to us at Islands Business to publish. It really offended me in the way that it chose to focus only on the bad stuffs about Melanesia in order to drive home their point that the Pacific is bipolar. I didn’t like the way it went on about AIDS and low education standards in Melanesia.
First it says not to trust Pacific statistics (for obvious reasons of lack of resources in statistical offices) and then it goes on to make statistical analyses that just puts Melanesia in a totally bad light as opposed to the supposedly perfect and harmless Polynesia.
It’s as if Melanesia and its so called arc of instability is a simmering pot of disaster waiting to spill over and poison the whole Pacific with its high unemployment, lack of basic health care and low education standards.
There’s nothing there about efforts being put into helping out in these areas by governments, donor partners, our regional organisations like SPC and SOPAC and the private sector.
The only thing I agreed with in this report is its reminder that Pacific governments tended to downplay the importance of the informal sector in socio-economic development.
August 25, 2008 at 1:23 am
Robert@PNG
As a visitor to this great country and someone that has lived and worked here for almost four years I have observed how my “wantoks” have turned the solving of PNG’s problems almost into a sport. I have not met a foreigner yet (me included) who after a few months in Papua New Guinea begins to develop a theory as to how best to solve PNG issues.
The fact remains that the issues and challenges facing PNG are incredibly complex – the move towards so called progress is happening at a speed and drive that has rarely been seen in the records of human history. Change is coming to this land and its people faster than what you can say “kakaruk”.
I remember back in the mid eighties I had the opportunity to spend some time with an australian aboriginal elder and on this one sunny day we were driving out towards Kurnell (southern Sydney suburb) and as we drove and chatted we could see the smoke billowing from the oil refinery in the distance – at the same time we drove past a sewerage works – Gaboo (the elder) turned around to me and said: “Rob… see that black smoke over there and smell that stench – that’s progress son”.
I have never forgotten the words of the old man…
R
NB: Great blog Emmanuel!!
August 25, 2008 at 3:02 am
Solo
Manu this is one of the fundamental myopia of researchers like Helen Hughes…is that they sit in front of their PC and do research without visiting the streets to get first hand data and understand what they write about…
August 25, 2008 at 3:17 am
Emmanuel
Thanks guys for dropping by, it’s amazing how much time and money is put into pointing out the same issues year in year out how about some resources poured into practical solutions so that we can help ourselves.
Give us a sealed road, reliable electricity, reliable and affordable communications, subsidized fuel and I’ll be right to help myself.
August 25, 2008 at 11:30 am
Tavurvur
Hey Guys, I’m so glad that I found you! It looks like there are some PNG voices in Cyber Land!
I read The Bipolar Pacific report too – it left me boiling and was the reason I decided to start my own Blog!!
August 26, 2008 at 12:42 am
Emmanuel
Great work Tavurvur, what’s your link?
August 26, 2008 at 8:17 am
someone
Aid watch a “not for profit organization”, wrote a article relating back in 2004…see link below.
Most of the Aid money, ends up in the pockets of individual consultants or in the pocket of owners of these lucrative Consulting businesses.
http://www.aidwatch.org.au/assets/aw00629/dec%202004.pdf
August 27, 2008 at 3:28 am
Tavurvur
Here’s my link: http://garamut.wordpress.com
Aid Watch tend to release some pretty interesting stuff.
Question: How do I put a link into my username?
August 27, 2008 at 10:24 am
someone
Interesting blog you have@Tavurvur.. love your links to Aidwatch, Eco-forestry forum, illegal logging and music by David Bridie. All these issues I have taken an interest in over the years.
The Chinese have an interest in PNG, because they need and want the resources PNG has to offer and are willing to pay to get their hands on these resources.
China has also been given the go ahead by the Australian govt to secure a small percentage in Rio Tinto.
cheers