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Values used as Rubber Stamp in development policies, says Academic

On 31 Aug, 2015 By ACTNOW

Source: EMTV online

The National Goals and Directive Principles of PNG are being used as a rubber stamp in development policies, according to academic, Patrick Kaiku, of the University of Papua New Guinea.

Mr Kaiku reached this conclusion after conducting a comparative analysis of the Vision 2050 and the National Goals and Directive Principles that are part of PNG’s Constitution.

Kaiku says while the proposal by Vision 2050 to encourage a broad-based economy aligns with the National Goals and Directive Principles, the strategies of development that are a big part of vision 2050, do not support the values of the National Goals and directive principles.

“Land is as big part of our culture and social identity and cultural organisation. Freeing up of 3 per cent of our customary land asproposed by Vision 2050 between 2010 and 2020 will leave a lot of land-less Papua New Guineans. There is no guarantee that the economic self-reliance and cultural continuity will happen,” he said during a discussion among his colleagues and the media.  

Kaiku’s analysis also brought up issues such as the legality of the vision 2050.

“Parliament has not passed any enabling legislation to make it legal. There has not been any constitutional amendments to make this Vision 2050 a legitimate document in terms of how it is implemented.”

Kaiku says, this can mean that this development blueprint that is supposed to guide PNG’s development for the next 40 years is unconstitutional. 

He says the National Goals and Directive Principles are the philosophy that is supposed to guide the nation, and recommends that they be part of the education curriculum so that citizens are better prepared, “and use our understanding of the National goals and Directive Principles to be critical of what our offcials write (such as) policy documents.”

Mr Kaiku’s paper is presented as part of a series of discussions that the School of Humanities and Social Sciences have initiated to contribute towards political debate in the country. The analysis was commissioned by the group Act Now PNG.