Deputy Opposition Leader Bart Philemon has described Public Enterprise Minister Arthur Somare’s speech during the University of Technology’s 41st graduation on Friday, March 27, as “total nonsense and irresponsible”.
In his speech, the minister assured the 819 graduates that they had a brighter future in terms of employment opportunities, however, the Opposition is now asking what gurantee they had for employment when the unemployement rate was very high.
“Arthur Somare is trying to portray a good image for the government by telling the graduates that it will be easy for them to find employment once they leave the university,” Mr Philemon said.
“This is a political gimmick by the minister in trying to lure support for a government that is gradually loosing support and confidence by the people.
“How can he proclaim that the future looks brighter for them when there are already thousands out there who can not find employment?
“This is not only university graduates we are talking about here.
“There are others who have left our education system and still waiting out there for employment opportunities.
“The minister’s got to be kidding.
“The minister did not tell the graduates how he was going to absorb them into the work force sector or how he is planning to do it.
“Or was he contextualising his speech in anticipation of the LNG gas project in assuring the graduates that they all will have a job when the gas project kicks off?”
Mr Philemon said employment would depend on the graduates’ field of expertise and how many the developers interested to employ.
“The Minister cannot depend on the statistics from the Central Bank to say that the employment rate will increase in the future.
“How can he make such bold predictions when the world economic is going into recession?
“We already have problems with our economic which affecting are business.
“Few companies have winded up and others are scaling down employees.
“So what is the future for these 819 graduates?
“You look at the law and order statistics to appreciate the level of crime being committed daily through out the country.
“These are work of people who can not find employment and turning to crime for survival.
“And these are not ordinary villagers or illiterate people committing these crimes, but educated Papua New Guineans.
“Since this government came in to power in 2002, the employment rate has not shown much improvement in the major industries operating in the country.
“Take a close look at the September 2008 issue of the Quarterly Economic Bulletin from the Central Bank for the figures given on employment classified by major industries.
“From 2002 – 2008 the percentage of people employed by these major industries showed little increase in some of the years in the period or no improvement at all in the others.
“So how did Arthur Somare put up a brave face by telling the graduates that they have a brighter future, when the figure he substantiates to assure the graduates tells a different story?
“This is a total lie to the graduates and the people of this country.
“The comments in his speech are very cheap beyond anyone’s comprehension for a senior state minister to give false hope to the graduates who are our future leaders, the public who where to witness the graduation and the people of this country.
“The comments are a bad taste in itself when considering the economic crisis the country is in at the moment.”
Mr Philemon said infrastructure was bad and getting worse by the day, with health and education not performing to expectation, being worse off now since pre-independence days:
• People are still dying from easily preventable and treatable diseases;
• 7,300 babies under one-year die each year (20 per day);
• 10,200 babies under five years die each year (28 per day);
• 220,000 babies less than five years have no proper nutrition;
• 3,700 mothers die every year (10 mothers dying per day);
• Half of all children in PNG are not immunised;
• 60% of mothers are not properly supervised when giving birth;
• 70% of people living in PNG have no access to safe drinking water;
• HIV/AIDS has spread rapidly throughout PNG over the last 10 years;
• Over 14,000 confirmed HIV/AIDS cases; and
• Estimates of HIV/AIDS cases putting infection rate at 1-2% of population.
“Arthur Somare, how do you see a brighter future for citizens of this beautiful country when you have the above staggering figures that amount to genocide, which is happening right under your nose?” Mr Philemon posed.
“Or how do you improve the education sector when:
• 55% of people in the country are illiterate;
• 50% of school aged children are not in school;
• High drop out/low retention rate;
• Lagging behind in teachers training;
• School infrastructure is in dire need of rehabilitation; and
• The list goes on.
“We have problems with law and order, dysfunctional government bodies and institutions infested with corruption and these things are happening under your government’s stewardship and you have no solution for them.
“The Minister must retract what he said and apologise to the graduates and the people of this country or save face and do the honorable thing by resigning as Minister.
