By The weekend’s Sunday Chronicle printed a statement from the PM, Deputy PM and the Minister for National Planning, Monitoring & District Development about a Call for Submissions to contribute to the Task Force who will be drawing up a National Strategic Plan (NSP) for the next 40 years (2010-2050).
I imagine that this is the take over from the Medium Term Development Strategy (MTDS) which has been running since 2005 and which is set to expire in 2010. The three functional roles of the current MTDS are to:
- articulate a core development strategy that provides the guiding framework for the Government’s expenditure program;
- to identify the supporting policy framework that will help put in place the enabling conditions for recovery and development; and
- to strengthen PNG’s Public Expenditure Management system.
The overall goal of the MTDS is to foster sustainable improvements in the quality of life of all Papua New Guineans.
The NSP
The NSP was created by the Parliamentry National Executive Council (NEC) in 2007 and so in February 2009 the NEC appointed 12 Papua New Guineans to form the task force or NSPTF. They are:
- Prof. David Kavanamur (Chairman)
- Daniel Kapi (Deputy Chairman)
- Simon Kenehe MBE OL
- Avia Koisen
- Michael Malabag OBE
- David Sode
- Ambassador, Peter Peipul, QBE
- Allan Bird
- Paul Bengo
- Lady Aivu Tauvasa
- Robert Agarobe
- Rev. Samson Lowa
Focus Areas
The news statement explains that there will be 6 Focus Areas:
- Strategic Planning: To have a sound, clear, achievable and progressive long term direction in policies & programs/outcome based on smart strategies for developing PNG in the period 2010-2050.
- Institutions, Systems Strengthening & Alignment: To develop appropriate political & service delivery systems that are efficient, effective and dynamic following robust business models, service/product & process innovations.
- Human Development & People Empowerment: To ensure PNG is well trained and well utilised, well paid, fairly treated & are contributing positively and productively to national development.
- Wealth Creation: To ensure a strong, dynamic & competitive national economy by 2050.
- Security & International Relations: To ensure PNG is a well secured, peaceful & united country for our children by 2050.
- Climate Change & Environmental Sustainability: To ensure PNG’s natural resources & environment is conserved & used for the collective benefit for all.
Have Your Say
So if you want to contribute to the Task Force, you are invited to make submissions on any of the related topics that interests you and you are encouraged to tell them where you want PNG to be in 40 years.
The Task Force will also be visiting the Provincial districts and LLG’s to hear their views.
All submissions are to reach the NSP office by the 31st August, 2009. You can contact them on Ph: 344 2046, 3442047, 326 1065 – Fx: 326 1064 – Email: nsptaskforce@gmail.com
5 comments
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June 23, 2009 at 1:23 am
Tavurvur
E,
This just put a smile on my face!!! THIS is the way it’s supposed to be: the government is meant to be afraid of the people, not the other way around.
I’ll definitely be sending in a submission – on which topic is the question!
Tavurvur
July 15, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Towaira Timan
There had been many plans created by the present and past governments. All these plans are good in that they direct the use of funds in different development sectors. But these plans will fail us if we do not put in place systems to bring goods and services direct to the people in urban and rural settings. Funding from the National Government or Donor Agencies get sipped along the service delivery process and little or nothing reaches those poor people at the end of the line. Different levels of governance between Waigani and the people are part and parcel of these service delivery system.
We once had the Local Government system soon after PNG became independent. What ever went wrong saw us revert to the Provincial Government system. Something was not right so we centralized everything in Waigani. When Waigani was flushed with cash, it gave us the wrong economic indication that saw us creating Supplementary Budgets (Surplus)one after the other.
Now we are tryng to revert back to the old system of Local Level Government with funding channel through districts. Already, millions of kina have been allocated to the 89 districts in the country. If you carry out a proper and comprehensive audit of how these funds were spent in each district, including physical site inspections, you will find that there is nothing on the ground. If there is anything, it will not be the same as those documented on paper at district headquarters. Incomplete buildings, pilot tracks built by heavy machineries through no man’s land, black poly bags meant for cocoa nursery lying everywhere because of no seedlings or lack of technical advise, no capital to start business incentives in rural areas despite great potential and the list goes on. These are results of lack of capacity to identify, formulate and implement projects at the district level.
The National Government should have worked on building the capacity at the district level before releasing any funds. Building capacities at the district levels should include improving office equipment, procedures and processes and restructuring human resources for positions that will handle tasks appropriately. A major recruitment drive for personels within the public and the private sector should be launched and positions created with incentives to attract well qualified Engineers, Architects, Surveyors, Builders, Accountants etc. These people will not only do proper designs and costings of projects from the National Government’s annual budget to the districts, but will also put together Project Formulation Documents to source external funding to support each development sector in the district. Tradionally, officers at the districts depend on the annual budget to carry out their work. But they can also use some of their sectoral budgeted funds as counter-part funding to source external funding, and endorsed by political and administrative leaders of the province.
All these changes from one government system to another is to find a workable system that will channel the maximum benefits in goods and services to the majority of our people who live in rural areas. As a citizen of this beautiful country, I must honestly say that since independence, all systems to date have failed.
Like many others out there, I have been struggling silently thinking when will we realise the solution to this problem? And after realising the solution, how soon will it be released? And if we release it and it works, how significant will it bear on the lives of multitudes when we maximize its benefits?
My opinion is a contribution dedicated to Professor David Kavanamur and and his committee as they travel the nation gauging views and opinions of people around the country.
What about transfering the functions at the district level to the LLG where the people are? Legislative, Administrative and Political framework should be inplace to facilitate this change.
With assistance from Yasap Popoitai, Joshua Himina, Rose Koyama, Hilma, Igo Gari and Mrs. Kubak at DNPM; Margaret Ieme and Peter Terence at NDoE, together with the corporation and hard work from the people of Busamang village in the Salamaua LLG of Morobe Province, we completed 5 buildings for Busamang Primary School in 8 weeks with all funds accounted for. The cheque of K354, 456 was deposited direct to the school’s project account, and the project managed by Timan Consultancy Services (TCS). TCS was also the proponent of the submission.
This project could be a model for us in the next 40 years.
All the best
Towaira Timan
Timan Consultancy Services
P.O. Box 2757
LAE 411
Morobe Province
Ph: 4727805
Bemobile: 76933418
Digicel: 72187131
Email: toti_ttiman@yahoo.com
October 31, 2009 at 6:46 am
Genewa S Livinai (GSL)
Mr Timan its a pleasure and encouraging to read your email purposely to boost the morale of the NSPTF, in order to guide them to steer the 40 year nsp correctly and properly coordinated so that it will gradually reach its desitination which are people living in our rural community villages.
In addition to your contribution, you will read below my little but powerful questions I raised for NSPTF, or any banker in PNG or working staff of Bank of PNG to challenge and answer these raised questions.
During my 9 years deep, deep research behind the high financial networking that control or manipulate the global monetary system, I found we where blind folded from 01st of November, 1972 until now. We are loosing more than K5 million Kina every month disguise by this scheme not known by any elite papua new guinea and the effects are chaotic. How, kina shrinking below 0.19 not long ago, Prices are pegged at devaluated kina rate, selling our gold away not keeping it….. do you not know that we have billions of kina untouch waiting to tapped or can be created in the country without borrowing any single financial support from donor country, including the IMF. WB, AusAid, ADB and others, to develop our beloved Motherland PNG the land that gave us life.
Until today the money is siting idle and waiting to be tapped.
This is another important question I have to raise.
With that I will wait for reply from any one.
October 26, 2009 at 4:48 pm
GENEWA SAKIASI LIVINAI
Please kindly allow me to submit as a contributor to our great motherland’s 40 year (2010-2050) planning towards Economic Freedom, Financial Independence and Sovereignty.
As we all know that we had our 34th independent anniversary not long ago.
The question I am gonna raise is:
(1) DO WE HAVE A SOLID MONETARY SYSTEM OR FOUNDATION FOR OUR KINA MONI?,
(2) DO WE HAVE AN INSURED MONETARY FOUNDATION, BACKED BY BANKABLE ASSETS?
(3) DO WE HAVE AN INSURED SCHEME TO INSURE OUR GROWING POPULATION, ECONOMY AND MONETARY SYSTEM?
If not, then the 40 years (2010-2050) NSP is risky, and will not go along way.
Please I want anyone from the 12 nominated task force members to give me your opinion or an answer to the above questions.
I am ready, willing and able to contribute to solve the above problems, because without answering them our country’s NSP has no value and basis or I would say is not secured, and insured to take one step.
I will kindly wait for your response sir’s
Genewa S Livinai
Author of “GSL Inflation Free Formula”
October 31, 2009 at 7:45 am
kafu peg
They say money makes the world go round. I don’t know about economics, but, I do believe that if PNG minimises “out of country” monetary values, maybe we would achieve a surplus & revolving cash flow to propel us forward.
The government shall convert its proceeds ie invest in buying & retaining most of our gold instead of banking it in the cayman islands. At least we know our money is valued in the gold, if gold is used as a measure of worldly currencies & economies.
Yep Mr. Livinai, I agree with you that NSP should be planned around a sound micro & macro economic platform.
And stop corruption – point no.3 Human Development & People Empowerment