Amalgamation of NCC, national museum not good

 SPORTS, Tourism and Culture Minister Justin Tkatchenko says the amalgamation of the National Cultural Commission and National Museum will save K4 million.

That was said in the hope of justifying the amalgamation proposal.

The first question that came to my mind was: What is K4 million to a Government operating on a multi-billion kina budget? 

And, what is K4 million compared to other infrastructure projects that cost a billion or so of tax payers’ money?

Was the minister thinking when making comments? Or, was he just trying to push an agenda that was directed by others and coming up with such a shallow statement?

He also mentioned that “there were too many chiefs and not many Indians”. I do not understand the logic in that statement.

The people in the National Cultural Commission are not just any Indians – they are specialists, they know stuff about our many cultures that Tkatchenko knows nothing about.

There are many things NCC has done and many more it can do.

The problem here is the Government has neglected this important body. An example is the Skul Bilong Wokim Piksa which I believe comes under the NCC. 

Why is it not functioning or making an impact in PNG after 40 years of independence? 

Why are we not having films made like we had back in the 1960s and 1970s? 

We now have a multi-billion kina budget compared to the mere millions in government budgets during that period.

It is my belief that the amalgamation proposal of the two bodies is wrong and is not done in the interest of the indigenous people of Papua New Guinea.

The National Museum and Art Gallery must remain as such with their hardworking stuff who are specialised in anthropology, archaeology and related fields. 

The NCC can be in charge of other things, including the archiving of national creativity and patent issues, something it had been doing some time back. 

PNG Tauna

Port Moresby