ONE of Papua New Guinea’s senior statesmen Sir Julius Chan has cautioned international aid donors against using money to interfere into the sovereignty of recipient countries.
He said whilst aid in general was beneficial, experience among developing countries of the South Pacific, especially in PNG and Solomon Islands showed that some of the areas in which aid money was spent “digs into the heart of a country’s right to exercise its national sovereignty”.
He cited the aborted enhanced co-operation programme in PNG and the controversial Australian-led regional assistance to the Solomon Islands as examples of “external interventions” using aid that needed re-examination and refinement.
The former prime minister, who was now Governor of New Ireland made these remarks last Wednesday, when welcoming delegates to the 3rd PNG Government and Donor Consultative Forum in Kavieng.
“Papua New Guinea is by no means the largest recipient of your aid in the world, but whatever the size it is important and invaluable,” Sir Julius told donors.
“But one thing is indisputable – providing development assistance and accepting it, is based on mutual trust. This trust only comes through years of working with individuals that can stay the course, ” he said.
He said, “Working out how and where to best use the limited funding on PNG’s needs is a road that you and I know too well; it is not for the faint-hearted.
“Donor funding to support national objectives is serious business. If we don’t generate maximum benefits from the money used in programmes and projects at the grassroots level, then we should expect a disenfranchised public service, a struggling private sector, and in the end disheartening outcomes, ”Sir Julius said.
“If we don’t have a genuine partnership between donor and recipient (countries), whether this is real or perceived, we run the risk of building a house on quicksand.”
Sir Julius expressed disappointment in the manner the ECP issue was handled by leaders of both PNG and Australia, saying dialogue between the two countries should have been done in a “trustful way with both sides listening to each other,” he said.
In respect of Australian aid, he said the report card on its focus on strengthening law and justice, improving economic management and public accountability institutions, maintaining access to basic services, anti-corruption and good governance measures and supporting peace-building and community and civil society development, they contained “a bag of mixed results.”
“As we have seen in several Pacific Island countries, addressing these areas digs into the heart of a country’s right to exercise its national sovereignty. Donors need to respect this,” he said.