Development is injustice – A worse case for PNG

By Peter S. Kinjap

Even in the well developed countries in the world, we still have the homeless on the streets. The agony of that child on the streets of a developed world is the same as that of a child in the less developed country. So what really is the aftermath of development? What does development brings to humanity? Nothing. On one end of the world there is feast, while on the other end is famine.
Whilst there is peace in one corner of the country, there is war on the other end. There is nothing development can bring.  Development or modernization or civilization is totally unfair and injustice. It only meant to serve the interest of a very few handful. People are blind because they are made to believe that they too can make it to the minority group to live a better life.
Sadly, slavery has not left humanity. It’s still around. Mankind is the slave for a "better-life" in the face of development.
This is a global phenomenon. The struggle to find a better life is enormous from one State to the next and from one community to the other.

In Papua New Guinea, Peter O’Neill thinks developing Port Moresby along will bring all solutions to the suffering of the common majority in every parts of the country. Billions of Kina is spent on fame and glory on sports while the majority in the communities scattered all over the country weep in pain for a basic service that is not costing more than millions. Who told Peter O’Neill that it is time to boost PNG as a celebrity? Who advised him that an ongoing spending in sports will help the growth of the economy? The Pacific Games 2015, FIFA U20 Womens World Cup 2016, NRL World Cup 2017, APEC 2018 and Commonwealth Games after Gold Coast in 2018 are list of events on the minds of those who are looking for fame and glory. PNG is not yet ready to be a celebrity at the expenses of suffering majority.
Taxpayers money has been spend in Port Moresby alone with only less than 10% of the total population of 8-million dwellers.
There is increased shortage of medical supplies in public hospitals, continuous longsuffering of road and bridges in the rural communities. Millions suffer silently in the rural communities with lack of basic government services.
The O’Neill-Dion government is creating a lot of debts, constraining the future growth of the economy. O’Neill has never been sorry about how much pain he is inflicting on the country’s economy in the long run.
The suffering has been way too long.
Today, we read in the media about a petition from of one of the Government promised-payments on the waiting list. The landowners of the PNG LNG project want their payments while the Government does not have any money at all and is looking to increase its revenue through taxation and the general election. How dare is this possible that landowners will be paid? Only next year is the election which the Government needs to spend some millions.
The problems are too big for a limited Government budget to cater for all. Yet PNG wanted to tell the rest of the world that we are fine and wanted to host world events that cost a lot of money.
Something is wrong somewhere. Never believe in development. It brings injustice. Expect the worse. Those who are advising Peter O’Neill will shoulder the blame.