New Ireland vision for development is very clearly stated in the New Ireland Declaration
We are pushing for resource ownership through Mama and Papa Graun
We are firm to develop our human resources through our policy of Free and Subsidized Education
We are inspiring for excellence in education by establishing Secondary schools to Colleges and the New Ireland University.
In business and commerce we want to equip our entrepreneurs by providing finance through a more development oriented policy.
On the 7th September 2016 we declared the highest form of Autonomy for New Ireland.
Our desire for self-determination is compelling reason that you all work together with my Government and my people to reach our goal in the fastest and safest way.
In almost all gatherings I was asked to say a few words, I spoke about the need for our country to wake up.
I said we had to admit honestly that we have serious problems and begin to deal with them. But I fear we have failed to do that, and my friends, I fear that time is growing short.
The problem is simple. The wealth of our country, the riches that have come, and continue to come every day, every year, from Mama and Papa Graun, have made foreign companies rich, have made some politicians rich, have made some businessmen rich, but have done nothing for the people from whose ground those riches originate! Others get rich. Our people get poorer and more miserable.
We have wealth most countries of the world would kill for. Our natural wealth is the envy of the world. But while we exported a million billion kina of wealth particularly from the extractive industry sector, what happened to our people?
This must end. My friends, I said earlier time is getting short. We must wake up. We have the tools. We have the resources. For some reason we have lacked the commitment. For some reason we have been acting stupid. It is time for us to get smart.
One thing we need to realize is that our diversity can be a strength. We all know that our country is the most diverse on earth. We all know we have 841 languages according to the last count, out of a total of about 7,000 in the world. So we have one-thousandth of the world’s population, but over 12% of the world’s languages. There is no more diverse place on earth than PNG – Full Stop!
But to date we have let our diversity work against us. We are competing against each other. When one group of big men gets into Government everyone else suffers.The group the big men represent prosper, but everyone else suffers. Then later a new group of big men gets power and their group benefits – everyone else suffers.
And this is tearing our country apart. Just look at Bougainville. Everyone but the landowners and people of Bougainville benefited from Panguna. And finally the people said “Enough!!”
More and more people in Papua New Guinea are beginning to say “Enough!!” We need to wake up.
America realized that if the central government, the national government was too strong then government would not be able to respond to the differences in the regions and states. So America gave the state huge amounts of power. California and Texas and New York made their own laws, collect their own taxes, operate their own education system and they do it in the ways that are best for their people. And the result? The result is that the country – America – is Stronger! It has made a strength out of its diversity.
New Ireland has all the tools it needs to be the best, the most progressive, the most advanced society in all of Papua New Guinea. And this is not mere conjecture, no idle claim! We have already shown our pedigree.
We have already shown our ability. Just look at our track record…..
Our legs have been shackled. Our eyes blindfolded. We have been forced to carry extra weight. But still we have done amazing things. We have implemented Free Education, Old Age and Disabled, Roof Over Heads, Ward Level Projects, Solar Lights, provided delivery beds for our aidposts, wheelchairs for our disabled, walking sticks and crutches, subsidised bicycles, implemented a Water and Sanitation for Hygiene program and much more.
We have already initiated and pushed for amendments to the Mining Act 1992 and the Lihir and Simberi MoAs to ensure fairer benefit sharing with the people whose land is providing the wealth. We will do the same with Solwara One if it ever come to life.
There is no better time then now to navigate conditions – Finance, Environment safety of the work force and more equitable sharing of the super profit with over US$800 increase price of gold to offset the deficits and reduce our excessive borrowings instead of passing the burden of servicing these borrowings to the next generation.
Today’s literature on corporate governance is overwhelmed by notions of environmental, social and governance matters. Environmental matters like deforestation, pollution, climate change. Social matters like war, rights of workers in foreign factories, minimum hourly wages.
And governance matters going from the boardrooms of publicly traded companies all the way through to the governance of various organizations and our own elected governments.
A long time friend quoted to me what Milton Friedman said: “The business of business is business. Therefore, the only person you really care about is the shareholder of your company. The sole purpose of a publicly traded company is to look after its shareholders.”
You the Directors of Papua New Guinea …….. the only sole purpose of your involvement in this game is to look after the shareholders – the people of PNG.
Your coming to New Ireland is an honour for us to air our little experiences. The Extractive Industries Transparency Commission will go a long way to keep everyone honest.
This is a world to share – if we do it right, there will be enough to go around.
Now it is my honour to declare this gathering of important people charting the future of our Extractive Industries Transparency Commission Consultation Forum Open.
