Islands Business - WE SAY: Sad day for democracy

‘...It’s as if freedom, self rule and democracy have made no difference to the PNG peoples’ control over their natural resources, environment and their destiny. The politicians they put their trust in to lead them have all
but bartered their interests and their future’

One of the Pacific islands’ most resource-rich regions was in the news for two starkly contrasting reasons last month. As is usually the case, and as it should be, the more alarming of the reasons hogged the media spotlight and raised criticism from far and near. The other reason was of course far more benign though no less important but just as it happens with all good news, it did not gain the traction it deserved in the regional media.
First, the bad news: in what can only be called a most appallingly undemocratic and totally authoritarian move, the government of Papua New Guinea pushed amendments to the country’s extremely important Environment Act, giving bureaucrats sweeping new powers to approve activities by mining and petroleum companies without consulting traditional landowners or securing their agreement.
What is even worse is that the word of the bureaucrats—in this case just one bureaucrat, namely the director—is final and binding on the citizens of the country and cannot be appealed in a court of law. Also, the parties engaged in the mineral and mining exploitation activities have been given a tough, teflon coating by the amendment in that they cannot be sued, effectively meaning that they can get away with almost anything—even industrial disasters like the ones in Bhopal, India, in 1984 or the BP oil spill that has been spewing oil into the ocean for the past several weeks.
This is indeed a sad day for democracy in the Pacific islands. This move by PNG’s government of the day has effectively removed the basic principle of the separation of powers that is at the very heart of the democratic system. The legislature, the executive and the judiciary—the three pillars of democracy—are vested with separate powers in a bid to keep intact the checks and balances on each other.
Having thus fudged the lines of demarcation separating the three estates of democracy, the PNG government has trained its guns on the Fourth Estate—as all authoritarian governments in the shamelessly diaphanous disguise of democracy are wont to do. The prime minister and his cohorts have blasted the media for reporting and commenting on these draconian moves imputing motives of working against the national interest.
At the time of going to press, PNG’s justice minister, Ano Pala, issued an extraordinary decree imposing a media blackout on debate over controversial legal amendments to environmental laws surrounding a Chinese-run mine. The minister, who is also the Attorney-General, ordered the police commanders to stop any planned protests against the laws. There is to be no more discussion, comment or reference in the media to the Environment Act amendments. This applies to talkback radio programmes or interviews, advertisements, letters to the editor.
The amendments to the nation’s Environment Act were pushed through in the course of a single day, without any recourse to debate whatsoever. It is clear as daylight that it is the powerful vested interests that were ramming through this entire exercise. It is no secret that almost all of these can be pointed to big businesses overseas—notably the Chinese.
Instead of being masters of their own destiny under the hard won freedom of their country after decades of colonial subjugation that saw the looting of natural resources by colonial masters, the so called leaders of PNG are now allowing foreign interests to do the very same by twisting democratic institutions for their personal gain or because of sheer naivety. For either reason, they do not deserve to represent the people whose wealth and future wellbeing is being snatched from right under their feet. It’s as if freedom, self rule and democracy have made no difference to the PNG peoples’ control over their natural resources, environment and their very destiny.
The politicians they put their trust in to lead them have all but bartered their interests and their future to say nothing of having betrayed their trust. Having thus fudged the lines of demarcation separating the three estates of democracy, the PNG government has trained its guns on the Fourth Estate—as all authoritarian governments in the shamelessly diaphanous disguise of democracy are wont to do. The prime minister and his cohorts have blasted the media for reporting and commenting on these draconian moves imputing motives of working against national interest. The PNG government is under growing pressure from foreign petrochemicals as well as minerals and mining companies for projects to be completed within set timeframes, failing which the government could be subject to paying fines and caught holding the can for any cost overruns. And one of the factors that could cause delays is action from landowner groups, the common people and, of course, the non government organisations.
The amendments therefore effectively put paid to the voice of dissent from these very groups, undoubtedly the most important stakeholders in the nation’s development process. These groups are completely justified in assuming the view that their own elected leaders have grossly and callously let them down, dictated by the sole pecuniary interests of foreign investors who have no interest in the nation’s people and their future wellbeing. Dissent is already brewing and communities like those around the Hidden Valley project have begun to rally around. Indeed spreading the movement to the grassroots at countrywide level is the only hope that could force the government to take notice—and the people of PNG need to do that urgently.
Meanwhile, an encouraging development on the very same subject also took place last month—one that received far less media attention in the region. The New Zealand based Pacific Cooperation Foundation’s Maori-PNG engagement project saw a number of ideas being exchanged between Maori and a host of PNG communities in dealing with indigenous natural resources.
Maori are significant stakeholders in New Zealand’s primary sectors through their historical land interests and Treaty settlements.
This has resulted in a well developed range of successful Maori enterprises that have not only protected native interests but also handsomely contributed to their economic wellbeing.
This has never been easy and the Maori delegation shared with native PNG resource owners ideas about dealing with the complex issues arising from the development of their natural resources.
One can only hope that these kinds of interactions and flow of information and ideas will better inform people at the grassroots level about their native rights and how they could evolve mechanisms to have better control over their own resources and their destinies. Especially so in the face of incompetent and downright dishonest government forces that, in cahoots with foreign pecuniary interests and utter disregard for the best interests of their own people, are intent on bartering their prosperity, their environment and the well-being of future generations.
The developments do not portend well for the people of PNG. The muzzling of the media with decrees and rushing through amendments without debate and discussion and blurring out the lines of separation between the executive and judiciary are a sad mockery of democracy.