PNGBLOGS

LIFESTYLE diseases such as diabetes, cancers of the digestive tract, the liver and lungs as well as the ailments of the heart are on the rise in Papua New Guinea. These diseases are robbing the country of many of its productive workers between the ages of 35 and 50. For a fledgling economy such as PNG, that cannot be good news because it means more and more of our brightest and best talents are succumbing to preventable diseases and, thus, leaving voids in experience and quality in the nation’s educated and skilled workforce. Almost every week, it seems, one will find in the obituaries column of the newspapers a death notice of a senior professional or some other middle management personnel who dies at what many in the first world would consider middle aged or younger. Deaths, attributable to lifestyle diseases, of individuals barely in their 50s in cities and rural areas are becoming so commonplace that one would assume that the country’s life expectancy has surely taken a dip since i

LIFESTYLE diseases such as diabetes, cancers of the digestive tract, the liver and lungs as well as the ailments of the heart are on the rise in Papua New Guinea. These diseases are robbing the country of many of its productive workers between the ages of 35 and 50. For a fledgling economy such as PNG, that cannot be good news because it means more and more of our brightest and best talents are succumbing to preventable diseases and, thus, leaving voids in experience and quality in the nation’s educated and skilled workforce. Almost every week, it seems, one will find in the obituaries column of the newspapers a death notice of a senior professional or some other middle management personnel who dies at what many in the first world would consider middle aged or younger. Deaths, attributable to lifestyle diseases, of individuals barely in their 50s in cities and rural areas are becoming so commonplace that one would assume that the country’s life expectancy has surely taken a dip

After another year of strong economic performance, Papua New Guinea (PNG) is brimming with confidence. The 2013 budget, announced in November and valued at PGK13bn ($6.2bn), is PNG’s largest-ever budget and one which the government is borrowing more than $1bn to fund. Centred on the development of core services, such as education, health and infrastructure, PNG’s budget is paving a path toward sustainable and inclusive growth, largely due to substantial gains in 2012. The 2013 budget is also cashing in on PNG’s improved political fortunes, following Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s election in August. This effectively closed the door on a period of intense political instability, as divided loyalties amongst the bureaucracy threatened to spill over into a military coup d’état. It is worth noting, however, that the government has extended a ban on votes of no confidence from 18 months to 30 months. The O’Neill administration has laid the groundwork for an expansion of government-led nation

After another year of strong economic performance, Papua New Guinea (PNG) is brimming with confidence. The 2013 budget, announced in November and valued at PGK13bn ($6.2bn), is PNG’s largest-ever budget and one which the government is borrowing more than $1bn to fund. Centred on the development of core services, such as education, health and infrastructure, PNG’s budget is paving a path toward sustainable and inclusive growth, largely due to substantial gains in 2012. The 2013 budget is also cashing in on PNG’s improved political fortunes, following Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s election in August. This effectively closed the door on a period of intense political instability, as divided loyalties amongst the bureaucracy threatened to spill over into a military coup d’état. It is worth noting, however, that the government has extended a ban on votes of no confidence from 18 months to 30 months. The O’Neill administration has laid the groundwork for an expansion of government-

AT the recent Sydney Mining and Petroleum Conference, Prime Minister Peter O’Neill promised a wide-ranging review into the current mining and petroleum fiscal regime. At about the same time, he blacklisted a big-name industry personality in Dr Ross Garnaut for comments he made which the prime minister found to be offensive. The prime minister has further called for a thorough review of the precepts that govern the PNG Sustainable Development Program and placed no less than the renewal of Ok Tedi’s mining licence on the line as a condition. The prime minister’s bone with the programme, which has culminated in the move against its chairman Dr Garnaut and the decision to review the programme, is the continued control of its welfare by BHP, the Australian multinational which exited the Ok Tedi mine many years ago. There is the presumption that Ok Tedi mine is fully nationally-owned but the prime minister quite rightly sees where the control comes from and that has raised his anger. Whateve

AT the recent Sydney Mining and Petroleum Conference, Prime Minister Peter O’Neill promised a wide-ranging review into the current mining and petroleum fiscal regime. At about the same time, he blacklisted a big-name industry personality in Dr Ross Garnaut for comments he made which the prime minister found to be offensive. The prime minister has further called for a thorough review of the precepts that govern the PNG Sustainable Development Program and placed no less than the renewal of Ok Tedi’s mining licence on the line as a condition. The prime minister’s bone with the programme, which has culminated in the move against its chairman Dr Garnaut and the decision to review the programme, is the continued control of its welfare by BHP, the Australian multinational which exited the Ok Tedi mine many years ago. There is the presumption that Ok Tedi mine is fully nationally-owned but the prime minister quite rightly sees where the control comes from and that has raised his anger.

Access to citizenship could prove the best hope yet for thousands of West Papuan refugees living in Papua New Guinea (PNG). “I want citizenship. I’ve been here 28 years and want to get on with my life,” said Donatus Karuri, a 57-year-old father of six, outside the shelter he shares with five other families at the Hohola refugee settlement. It is one of four settlements for West Papuan refugees in the capital Port Moresby. Like most West Papuan refugees, he is unable to work legally and has only limited access to public services. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), there are more than 9,000 West Papuan refugees in PNG today, many of whom have been in the Pacific island nation for over three decades. Others know no other home and can’t imagine living anywhere else. “I was born here. This is the only country I know,” said Dan Hanasbey, 27, another refugee wanting citizenship.   Flight From Indonesia Between 1984 and 1986, more than 11,000 West Papuans fled east into PNG from the w