Three articles by James Wanjik

Leadership of position power politics in Papua New Guinea

By James Wanjik

E-mail: jameswanjik@hotmail.com

 

PNG is low on leadership. People are without true leadership. Leaders would have us think otherwise. He who boasts will not see light of truth. For boastfulness is not a true leadership attribute.

Both divides of our Parliament have been tearing each other apart. They are politically aggressive. No human dignity and common courtesy would be their way of moving people. Very sad indeed.

PNG is starved of true leadership. No leader is kind to any other leader. Every leader has more pride than the next leader. Weakness is human skills is covered with position power. Position power is very time-bound. When time is up position power also ends. No leader is invincible. This is the truth.

Person power on the other hand is time-honoured. It will last for as long as a person lives, moves and have his or her being.

Leaders miss opportunity to help leaders work for people. They plot and destroy each other while their people wait in vain for help of their leaders. PNG will only see lot of leaders lose their human dignity because that is what PNG politics is all about.

So far we have seen our leaders’ war of words. Politics of words our leaders are masters. Taking actions to help our people leaders are very timid. They are powerless if they were not Prime Minister or Ministers. It only shows timidity of leaders.

Vision and charisma are two key ingredients of true leadership. No position is required for realising a vision. No position is necessary for charisma. They are formed in mind and heart and are perfected in spirit of a person.

Vision helps a person to see into the future with lessons from past and present. Charisma draws people to the vision. PNG is starting to see people power movement taking shape. It will intensify. When it hits the roof leaders will know they were there for themselves. It is now only a matter of time. Low leadership will go packing. High leadership will delight. It will end leadership of position power politics. Only ending leadership of position power politics will PNG see true leaders serving people regardless of position power.

Long live PNG and may God bless her people.

 

Porgera Landowners’ petition start of activism

By James Wanjik

E-mail: jameswanjik@hotmail.com

 

THESTORY, “Los deliver petition to Temu” (Sunday Chronicle, Sunday, 30 August 2009, p.7 ) highlights damaging undercurrents at Porgera. “No resettlement; no mining” is the summary of the landowners’ petition. The future is hidden in words.

First, landowners say they had sent their petition to the Prime Minister earlier but after a month without a response they re-directed it to Minister for Mining Puka Temu.

Porgera project is the first project in PNG that was offered a development package now commonly referred to as benefits sharing agreement.

It was rushed to cushion the impact of the closure of Panguna mine. When deals are rushed problems are sowed. Porgera has a number of these problems.

1. The government accused the predecessors of Barrick Gold Limited that they had understated the reserve at Porgera to keep government out of equity participation. The Equity Agreement of 1979 was reviewed and increased to 25% from initial 10%.

2. The landowners were relocated within the Special Mining Lease to contain the initial cost of developing the mine. Otherwise the project would not have been developed.

3. The Mining Development Contract allowed fly-in fly-out mining operations at Porgera and the Memorandum of Agreement provided for the development of township at Paiam. Dispute resulted in a separate agreement for the development of Paiam town.

4. The mine has no legal obligation to develop a mine closure plan. There is no approved mine closure policy.

5. Lower Porgera people have running dispute with the Porgera mine on discharge of mine tailings.

6. Relocation of new generation landowners are not protected.

7. Small scale mining and illegal mining have not been clearly identified and separated.

These are just some of the problems for rushing projects like Porgera. We are just at the beginning of a long struggle by Porgera landowners.

Porgera landowners are respected deal makers and breakers. They were even the first to exit from MRDC Group of Companies.

Barrick Gold Limited may be leading gold producer but Porgera gold are on and in the land of Porgera landowners. Landowners will lead leaders to see Barrick as being here only for land, gold and money of Porgera people.

Would our leaders listen to Porgera landowners?

 

PNG is way ahead with Border Development Authority

By James Wanjik

E-mail: jameswanjik@hotmail.com

 

THE BORDER Development Authority (BDA) is a new special purpose development authority established under the BDA Act 2008. It was set up to coordinate funding and development in the border areas of PNG. Since independence on 16 September 1975 our borderless people have been neglected by the government.

Foreign policy is based on protection of state sovereignty. This was largely a function of regulation. It was about recognisance and preventative government intervention. Now after 33 years of independence the government saw the light at the end of the tunnel. Development of the border areas was a precondition to the protection of national sovereignty.

People-centred development will result in people being patriotic about their country. Education and training will naturally produce enlightened elites. Health care will give PNG healthy looking people. Transport infrastructure will create opportunities for beneficial employment. Supporting church-run programs will assist in forming spirit of morality and ethics. The BDA is about assisting the national government deliver on first national goal- integral human development.

Upon inauguration in March 2009 the BDA has won many firsts. It has won the support of the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) to develop Kangu Border Post where regulators can process inflow and outflow of goods and people. This truth will be confirmed by the regulatory agencies.

BDA also used its special status as a development authority to get Asian Development Bank support for a pilot project on trade and investment in Wutung, Sandaun Province. The funding will be concessional.

BDA has also developed a ten year development plan from 2010 – 2020. It is a culmination of record consultation and collaboration with regulatory agencies, provincial governments and representatives of the ABG.

Before the end of this year BDA will take delivery of a number of landing crafts to assist the maritime transport needs of the islands, coastal, and river communities in the border areas and elsewhere in our country. More landing crafts will be acquired in 2010.

The BDA is perhaps the only service-oriented government organisation. It is a light the government created after 33 years of uncoordinated border development. Fear of light will destroy negative politics of old. Fiefdom syndrome is not what BDA is all about. It is about collaboration, cooperation and coordination. National sovereignty can only be protected in true unity of body, heart, mind and spirit. A whole person fully grounded in life knowledge and skills will protect PNG’s sovereignty. BDA is moving people to be patriotic about PNG. It will end the era of darkness in border development.