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Politics and the public service
IN the past, the Eastern Highlands
province was regarded as the flagship administration in the
Highlands region.
The people were regarded as industrious and peaceful. The
development of infrastructure progressed steadily.
Roads began to link the mountainous hinterland with the
coastline and with other provinces. Educational and health
networks grew, facilitated both by the government and by the
churches. A teachers college at Goroka became a fully-fledged
university.
Goroka maintained its favourite destination status with tourists
and the Goroka Show held its pre-eminent position among Papua
New Guinea’s annual events. And with the help of coffee,
agriculture continued to provide a good income for many of the
province’s people.
But in more recent years, the province could not avoid many of
the disruptions and problems that came to afflict most of PNG.
Administration of the provincial districts declined as tribal
conflicts mushroomed.
At times, tribal fighting was recorded in many widely separated
areas of the province and the provincial administration, the
politicians and the constabulary appeared unable to control
matters.
At points along the Highlands Highway, nests of criminals
regularly raided traffic. Murders and rapes occurred.
Sections of the road close to the small township of Kainantu
became known throughout PNG as lawless and uncontrolled; even
guarded highway freighters and passenger vehicles travelling in
convoy proved to be easy targets for those intent on preying
upon them.
Goroka, once the pride of the Highlands, experienced an influx
of people from surrounding areas; squatters began to destroy the
unique atmosphere of the highlands town. And with that influx
came the usual law and order problems and growing pressure upon
the available infrastructure of the town.
Many of those problems remain in the EHP. They will not be
eradicated overnight and their legacy will remain for a long
time. Yet there appears to be very real hope on the horizon.
The recent elections showed that the EHP still has a workable
underlying political and administrative structure. That was
proven when the province demonstrated its ability to run a
remarkably peaceful electoral process, one that demonstrated how
an election should be handled to other provinces in the region.
Most polls were peaceful and the counting of primary votes and
preferences was carried out with little disruption. The EHP was
one of the first provinces to file results and to do so in a
peaceful and orderly fashion.
Observers began to make positive comments about that process and
many friends of the EHP dared to hope that a significant
milestone had been passed. News published in The National last
Friday suggested that those hopes were not misplaced.
A provincial initiative saw an induction programme over three
days, beginning last Wednesday. The intention was to provide
both continuing and newly elected members with an understanding
of the responsibilities and functions of the provincial public
service and administration.
Initiated by returned EHP Governor Mal Kela Smith and
administrator Munare Uyassi, the induction course emphasised the
willingness of public servants to work with the provincial
politicians. At the same time the course clarified the
separation of powers and functions that exists between the
public service and the politicians.
Acknowledging that while new ideas were needed in the province,
Mr Uyassi pointed out that MPs devise policies that then become
the responsibility of public servants to implement.
Time was also allocated to explaining the roles of the EHP
budget and planning and joint district priority committees.
It is common practice in our country for critics to attack
systems. “The system” is blamed for a multitude of iniquities.
But few of those critics look to themselves as the source of
some of the problems. It is frequently the ineffective and weak
leader who blames the system within which he works, rather than
his own inept or even corrupt performance.
In the Eastern Highlands, we appear to be seeing a revival of
the use of tried and trusted administrative systems.
With a successfully administered election and the foundation of
a workable and constructive relationship between politicians and
public servants, the EHP seems set to claw back some of the lost
progress and reputation of the past.
 
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