NATURAL LAWS VS NATURAL RESOURCES: WHAT IS OUR HOPE FOR THE FUTURE?

by LUCAS KIAP

This is a story of a man who once owned a cup that produces water for drinking. It was a mystery cup that the man owned - he had no idea where the cup came from and how the water gets in there at the first place and continues to refill itself whenever he drinks. He only knows how to drink. Every time when he becomes thirsty he would go to his cup - there he would find water to drink. When he drinks he would not finish - there would still be some left in the cup. After he drinks, the cup would always refill itself. One day he became curious and wanted to discover the mystery behind the cup. He decided to drink all the water in the cup and pour out the remaining so that he could witness the whole process of the cup refilling itself. What he did not realize was that once the cup was empty, it would not refill itself again.

The cup was subjected to natural laws, laws that the poor man has no control over them - laws that he didn't understand them - laws that were not meant to be abused, manipulated, twisted, misunderstood or under any circumstances misinterpreted - irreversible laws with great consequences.

Like the magic cup, our natural resources are subjected to natural laws.

If we continue to promote economic growth by allowing only the foreigners to exploit our natural resources and take away business opportunities without any significant, tangible, and sustainable long-term gains, will it continue to sustain our ever-increasing demand without consequences?

We have to have in mind that the natural laws will eventually come into play halting our ongoing ability to extract more of these natural and precious nonrenewable resources. Pretending otherwise is unsustainable. The amount of damages that we are causing to the balancing of the environment and its ecosystem is unforgiving by the future generations.

More than eighty-five percent of the population in Papua New Guinea are poor rural subsistence farmers and their contribution to the economic growth of the country is very little or nothing at all. All of them are isolated from taking part in economic growth activities as the government fails to create opportunities for them or the opportunities are simply not there.

For the last 40 years, the government has been concentrating on the extractive sectors (minerals, oil and gas, timber, and forestry) to create economic growth in the country further isolating the people as interests of foreign international multi-corporations take the centre stage. Spin off benefits are very little as the government does not has a plan to convert those opportunities into thriving economic growth activities for the resources owners to enhance their quality of life. Mostly benefited from the spinoff benefits and other benefits are those already rich, well-off and educated. They form perimeters around unsuspecting rural people with corrupt politicians and government officials to siphon most of the benefits further isolating and marginalizing the rural people.

The agriculture sector, which traditionally supposed to be the back bone driving the economic growth of the country, has over the years received very little attention as the government has been concentrating all its efforts to drive investment into the extractive industry by giving tax breaks and exemptions to foreign owned multi-corporations. The continuous negligence of the agriculture sector has completely isolating and marginalizing the poor rural people from fully participating in the economic growth of the country.

While the people are poor and have fewer opportunities to take part in any economic growth activity, the blunt negligence of the government to involve its own people is evident in small business activities which have been dominated by foreigners especially of Asian origin. Whether its lack of training, skills, experiences, knowledge or capital to empower the people to take part in those small business activities, the government continues to play blind to the plight of its own people.

In reality the poor rural people of Papua New Guinea have been neglected and marginalized by their own government and a few already rich and well-off people. Those who benefit from the government coffers are only those who have connections to political leaders in the country and those that are rich enough to find their own way through by bribing corrupt politicians and government officials. The rest of the population are only spectators and somewhat confusing of the realities of what happens around them. The richer are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer in this country otherwise rich country with great potential for economic growth.

The apparently lack of growth economic growth in all sectors of the economy and its diversification has not only deprived the people of a better life but also deny the country fast growth and development. The government's failure to develop every economic potential of the country has continued to this day trap more than eighty five percent of the population in poverty with little or no hope of escaping from poverty. There is no hope for the future if we continue failing to diversify the economy by developing every economic potential of the country to give equal opportunity to every Papua New Guinean to take part in the economic growth of the country.

Corruption breeds poverty and poverty breeds violence. It's a time bomb we are creating. We must not underestimate what we are creating is capable of if we fail to take action soon.

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