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Monday, April 06, 2009

Papua New Guinea, the future

By IAN THOMPSON

Malum,
 
Just had a thought that I did not want you to be distressed at the wise words of worn out kiaps (patrol officers). Some of them are pretty silly.
 John Fowkes is repeating the words I heard from my first District Commissioner (Tom Ellis) in 1963. He said that the people of PNG had to get rid of their old customs and embrace the ways of the 20th Century Western societies.
 As a young man out in the bush building a new patrol post and living with villagers in a totally traditional environment, I thought this was a ridiculous thing to say. PNG was clearly dependent on subsistence living, and therefore traditional ways MUST be retained. What was it going to be replaced with? Did everyone have a paid job?
 What would happen in PNG today if people lost their living and cultural skills? They would starve, and their lives would be without meaning. I think John is perhaps just talking about public servants and politicians. I hope so anyway.
 PNG citizens have proven beyond doubt that as individuals they can do anything any other race of people can do. For example PNG pilots are check and training captains in major international airlines. There are PNG academics in Australian universities. PNG operators are managing oil field production facilities (one mistake and many people die). I go to a PNG doctor because he is good at his job.
 What you CAN'T DO is cooperate with each other for a common good. There is no concept of a common purpose outside the clan.
 There is too much "yu husat?” Western society relies on layers of bosses and workers. PNG men are too proud and independent to listen to another PNG. I don't see that changing. Just because PNG workers were willing to take instructions from foreigners (who are seen as independent, impartial people) the Australians thought that they would accept a power structure comprising other PNG citizens.  Unfortunately that concept is strongly resisted even 30 years after independence. "Yu man, mi tu man".
 Obviously educated PNG citizens want something beyond subsistence. Village life is boring for them. They crave a rich well-organised society and access to all the good things that wealthy nations enjoy. The land and the resources are there in abundance. How can they get things moving away from this corruption that is rewarding so few leaving the rest in poverty?
 You need to contract out your Government to foreign companies who have the skills to provide every service you need from tax collection to running the public service. I really mean everything, with the possible exception of foreign affairs. It includes the judiciary, police, army, public works, health, education and indeed every service that Government provides.
 There is nothing wrong with the skills and work ethic of your public officials that can't be fixed very quickly by having to report to a boss who knows the meaning of duty, and will sack anyone who wants to play up.
 The company I work for is a 100% PNG-owned company. The owner employs a very small number of expatriates (about 12, with only about seven on duty at one time.) The boss doesn't tell us what to do, just points the way ahead and lets us get on with the job. These foreigners manage up to 1, 000 PNG executives and workers, and this company is world-class in performance. Our PNG workers are as efficient as anyone, anywhere. We expats respect our boss, and do everything we can to make him rich because it's our duty. Run the country like that and you can be a first world country very quickly.
 It's like making bread. You just need a tiny bit of yeast and lots of flour to make real bread. Without yeast you get flour balls. Right now PNG is flour balls. You need bread if you want to stand tall in international society.
 Tell the self-serving politicians to get out of the way and contract everything to skilled international companies with competent, disciplined management. They can then pay themselves a million kina a year and go take holidays in Hong Kong if they wish. There will be plenty of money to pay them, and many billions left over for the ordinary people who now have nothing.
 As you can see I am a dreamer. But I believe in my dreams.
 
Bai nau
 
Ian Thompson

 
 
 
 


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