Mood For Provincial Autonomy Grows in PNG
Former Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, the Rt. Hon Sir Julius Chan – who has been pushing for the National Government to approve the New Ireland Autonomy Model for over 8 years since taking government in 2007 – says PNG faces the inevitable risk of breaking up if it continues with the inefficiency of central government machinery. The New Ireland Governor amidst the national state in which PNG is languishing near the bottom of the World Rankings of the United National Human Development Index – poorly thriving as the lowest developing country in Oceania and among the 10 lowest developing countries in the world national in the world – say the time is right for provinces to take up more powers of taxation, over natural resources, health, education and other sectors. This feeling was echoed at the recent Governors Conference hosted by the New Ireland Government in October last year for the 22 Provincial Governors, many of whom were frustrated at the lack of control their administratio