Burden of population rise stressed

By PETER ESILA
THE Government can talk about inclusive economic growth to meet the 3 per cent annual population growth rate but equal emphasis must be shared to control the population itself, says National Research Institute director Dr Osborne Sanida.
He told the FM100 talkback show yesterday that the Government’s focus, as pinpointed in the recent National Planning Consultative Summit in Lae, was to improve the welfare of people.
“Planning is all about improving the life of the people and it depends on the population,” Sanida said.
“When you have a particular amount of money, but your wants and needs go beyond what you have, then there is a question of how do you share what you have. It is the question of rationalisation.”
Sanida said improving the lives of our people was universal and could be in economic, social, environmental and other terms.
He said Government in recent years faced cash-flow issues due to falling commodity prices and the question of prioritising came in.
“Every person that is added to the economy can contribute positively or negatively,” he said.
“If they contribute positively, then they become part of the positive contribution.
“If they don’t, then they become part of the dependent people who depend on those who are working or creating income in the economy.
“Each person being added to the economy can be an asset to the economy, or a burden to the economy, depending on the opportunities created.
“The economy must be able to sustain the population,”
Sanida said policies will have to be made to control population growth with every sector of the economy to work together.
“You can have the situation where the economy is growing, but if the population growth is growing faster, than you are in trouble (to manage it),” he said.