Who would think that a kid selling betel nut at Pipigari Street would be mentioned in both the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age newspapers in the Australia. But when the world starts to notice, you know something's in the air.
Today in both papers, Jo Chandler writes about the Papua New Guinea’s transition both politically and economically. She has quoted me from my seminal paper The Political Economy of everything that is wrong with developing PNG.
I was alerted of the article in the Sydney Morning Herald by Matt Morris from the Australia National University, Development Policy Center.
I also received an alert from Carol Christie, on the article in The Age.
Today I addressed students at the University of Papua New Guinea. I was part of a team from Act Now and the Bismarck Ramu Group, who were there at the request of students who wanted updates on Special Purpose Agriculture Business Leases. The SPABL is a State sanctioned land grab that has resulted in the theft of 5.2 million hectare or over 11% of land in Papua New Guinea.
The atmosphere was electric! There wasn’t a bored student in the lecture theatre. The gravity of the situation weighed heavily upon the students. And they’re going out to their communities this vacation to empower the people.
Customary land owners in PNG will not tolerate corporate and government greed any longer and neither should concerned Papua New Guineans tolerate a rotten system.
This is our moment in history. We the children of TODAY must set the right course of our destiny. The world is taking note.
Effrey Dademo from Act NOW stresses a point during the SPABL information session
Bro powerful stuff. Keep at it. PNG needs us all now more than ever in setting our path straight.
ReplyDeleteToday is the day of reckon!
..ing!
ReplyDelete"reckoning!" :)