Unbroken chain of democracy: 50 years on

I’m working on a paper, looking at possible explanations of how PNG survived as a democracy despite lacking strong democratic principles / prerequisites. Came across Ron May’s book (recommended reading during my first year as a political science student but like most students didn’t read) on the first 25 years of PNG’s independence. The introduction of the book is quite interesting. Every respected “experts” of the time predicted that PNG would collapse:

“On the eve of Papua New Guinea’s independence in 1975 there were many – Papua New Guineans, resident expatriates, and overseas observers – who were sceptical about the future of an independent Papua New Guinea.

While people in the New Guinea highlands were apprehensive of being dominated by better educated coastal and Island people, and Papuans around the capital, Port Moresby feared being swamped by immigration from the highlands, well informed commentators, looking to the experience of post-colonial states elsewhere, spoke of the likelihood of political anarchy, an army coup or authoritarian single-party dominance, and of economic collapse.

Australian journalist Peter Hastings, for example, commented in 1971 on the ‘inescapable similarity between Africa and Papua New Guinea’, and suggested that after independence ‘the Army will inevitably be involved in the political direction of the country’ (Hastings
1971:32); the perceptive historian Hank Nelson wrote, around the same time:

‘After the formal withdrawal of Australian authority the new government may seem to work well, then, as corruption, inefficiency and secessionist movements become more obvious, the few educated and competent will take over, either dismissing the institutions of government established by Australia r ignoring them’, (Nelson 1972:208);

Former patrol officer, politician and planter Ian Downs wrote a novel which centred on a Mau Mau style uprising on the eve of independence.”

In the book, Ron May tries to explain how PNG defied all expectations and lasted 25 years as a democracy. What Ron didn’t know at the time, was that the next 25 years would be even worse. Yet PNG survived as a democracy.

When you think to the 2011 constitutional crisis where we had two prime ministers, two deputy prime ministers, two police commissioners, two departmental heads for almost all government departments, a failed mutiny as Taurama Barracks, just to name a few.

What makes PNG resilient?

Will it last another 50 years?

USAID: Toktok lo skel blo toktok.

Whilst there’s so much talk about USAID being cut and its potential impact in the Pacific, at least for PNG, I cannot point to a specific USAID project and say with confidence that it has transformed lives.

This is not a criticism of USAID. Quality of live in PNG is not the responsibility of foreign countries and donors. We get that.

But don’t use the Pacific as a justification for existence of USAID, or any donor aid. I just sat through the PNG Government-Business Breakfast 2025 in Port Moresby this week, and the seminar presentations that followed. None of the PNG speakers ever mentioned USAID.

When they discussed the many issues affecting PNG, they rightfully pointed to the government’s failure.

So when you discuss the loss from USAID, which should be discussed on whatever merit it has, don’t overstate its importance in the Pacific and/or PNG.

If PNG had substantial exports to the US, and if there’s was a 25% tariff imposed on its exports, only then would we come close to discussing the impact of Trump on PNG. At the moment, it’s as though there was no USAID in PNG. Yes there may be some that have lost their jobs that are funded through an USAID project somewhere unknown. But no one in PNG is discussing USAID in any substantial manner.

For Papua New Guineans, as the former president of Kenya said, we don’t pay taxes to the US. They can do whatever they want with their money. Just focus on holding your government accountable and demanding better.

Now you what about China: will it move in and fill the assumed void?

As Brian Kramer used to say: The short answer is NO!

If you want to talk about loans, China matters in the Pacific. Not AID. The Lowy Institute Aid Map clearly shows that Chinese aid is not match to Australian aid in the Pacific and PNG. Sometimes huge discrepancies exist between money promised and money given.

The Chinese are not big on climate change. And they don’t pretend to be. The avatar for such concerns is the West. But again, you cannot point to a climate initiative that has transformed anything.

So toktok lo skel blo toktok.

RIP Tess

Tess Gizoria passed away recently after a long fight with cancer. This post on 4 December 2024 when she was undergoing chemotherapy says a lot about PNG’s priorities:

“I know my portion is life and life in abundance. But even in saying that, I’m grateful for 34 days in hospital. 34 days where it was touch and go for more than half that time.

34 days where I flatlined once. 34 days where I saw the Hand of God every single one of those days.

But I’m not here to talk about my spiritual journey. That is a private matter I’m not ready to share at this time.

What I did want to say is sometimes God allows us to go through things so those of us who can speak up should speak up.

It all started in February 2023 when I met those 14 women battling breast cancer and undergoing chemo at POM Gen. I also met those nurses and the conditions under which they mix the highly toxic chemo drugs.

I met the 18 year old who had to fly with his parents from Kundiawa to POM everytime for chemo. I met the the lady with 3 kids who was a peanut farmer on the hills behind NBC 5mile who only had the K460 she needed for her first round of chemo that year and ended up never returning.

I met my Sepik sisters who would fly in every month for chemo and fly back home because they either had no where to stay here in POM or no money for upkeep while here. We lost Melody that April. I still remember her face. I remember her youngest/teenage daughter’s face who accompanied her mama every time.

I’ll never forget that April 2023. It was my son’s birthday when Melody and I went in for our chemo session along with the 4 others. I’ll never forget Melody. I’ll never forget all I owe my people of Sepik for the fact that God has given me a second chance at life.

Some of us may never be able to do a whole lot for PNG. But Sepik blo mi yah, ol mama, pikinini na lain blo yumi ba nonap raun painim halivim or dai osem. This will not continue. Our leadership is doing wonders and more such leaders will rise up.

That is my hope and strong belief!

Pic: The PET scan at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, Australia. This will be our Boram and our Raihu Hospitals. Soon and very soon!

mamagraun”

END

RIP Tess

Government of the Non-Taxpaying Papua New Guineans!

After 20 years of operation, Heli Solutions has shut down. The local company couldn’t survive fuel shortages and a lack of foreign currency.

But the deeper problem? Poor decisions by politicians—especially the prime minister.

When gold prices were at their peak, James Marape shut down Pogera, one of the region’s biggest mines and a major source of foreign currency for PNG in 2019. It reopened four years later, but without fixing the underlying issues. Since then, it’s had repeated shutdowns and has racked up more costs trying to stay afloat.

The fuel shortage traces back to how the government handled the Puma Energy case. Puma is the only company in PNG with the facilities to import, store, and distribute fuel. But when Puma asked for more foreign currency to buy fuel, the Central Bank refused. Without foreign currency, Puma couldn’t import fuel. This led to a standoff that continues today. Authorities accused Puma of money laundering, but they’ve never shown evidence to prove it.

Why did the Central Bank deny more foreign currency? They said PNG’s reserves are too low.

And why does PNG need higher reserves? To pay off debt. Debts are paid in foreign currency, and even if PNG has plenty of Kina, it doesn’t matter if it lacks dollars. Right now, PNG has neither enough Kina nor enough dollars.

So, who’s borrowing all this money? The government of Papua New Guinea.

And who elects this government? The people. During elections, most Papua New Guineans prioritize free handouts—like lamb flaps, SP beer, and church donations—over national issues.

Only 15-20% of Papua New Guineans pay taxes. The rest—about 80-85%—are unemployed and don’t pay taxes. But every voter has one vote, and the majority of voters are non-taxpayers. That’s why PNG ends up with governments that represent the unemployed and non-taxpaying majority.

Meanwhile, the taxpaying minority—those 15-20% who work and pay taxes—shoulders the burden. Apart from resource revenues, this small majority fund free education, DSIP, PSIP, and even MPs’ haus krai contributions. And now, with Heli Solutions shutting down, 65 more taxpaying workers have lost their jobs.

The same thing happened when riots burned Port Moresby in January 2024. The mostly non-taxpaying crowd caused destruction, leaving taxpaying workers without jobs. These are the same people funding the free education for the rioters’ children.

PNG has two massive problems:

Non-taxpaying citizens deciding who leads the country.
Leaders they elect being corrupt and irresponsible.

And who pays the price? The shrinking minority of hardworking, taxpaying Papua New Guineans.

Papua New Guinean PhD student wins Australasian Aid Conference 3 Minutes Competition

PhD student Natasha Turia – Winner of the 2024
Australasia Aid Conference 3 Minutes Aid Pitch

Papua New Guinean PhD student wins Australasian Aid Conference 3 Minutes Competition

In the recent Australasian Aid Conference in Canberra, Natasha S Turia won the 3 Minutes Aid Pitch. 3 Minutes Aid Pitch is a competition where you present your brilliant idea under 3 minutes, and the conference attendees decide the winner in an online poll.

The Australasian Aid Conference attracts huge number of participants ranging from researchers to practitioners across the Pacific, Asia and beyond. This year more than 500 participated.

Natasha argued that the success of aid is when the receipent country doesn’t need aid anymore. That should be the goal of Australia’s aid to PNG. One way to do that is to give PNG its own resident visa.

The current Pacific Engagement Visa allocates 1000+ out of the 3000 for Papua New Guineans, despite PNG being the only country having more than a million people (11 million+, whilst no Pacific island country has more than a million), and being the only country Australia had as a colony, and receives the highest amount of Australian aid money annually in the world.

Natash is from PNG, currently a PhD student researching labour mobility at the Australian National University’s Department of Pacific Affairs.

We (PhD students at the Department of Pacific Affairs) call Natasha “Pawa Meri”. She juggles 3 of her 4 children, PhD, and wins competition.

To see Natasha’s pitch, see 21:21, on the YouTube link below. You will also see the other competitors. The calibre of people who spoke are amazing. Just tells you how great Natasha’s presentation was to win the competition.

Congratulations Pawa Meri!