Compensation for development pointless

OUR people need to change their mindset about compensation for developments and especially during disasters.
Frequent demands for compensation, experienced throughout the country, has constantly hampered much of the country’s development and advancement.
When a natural disaster occurs, opportunists exploit these occasions and impose illegal fees on roads or claim compensation for something that is an act of God.
With the weather having a tremendous influence on the greater-than-normal volume of rainfall in this part of the world, PNG’s road infrastructure in particular stands to cop the full brunt of Mother Nature’s forces.
The country will have to fork out funds from somewhere in order to cope with this natural phenomena.
This is disgraceful behaviour that we sadly seem to condone.
In many places where bridges have collapsed or landslips have covered the road, locals (or opportunists) take advantage of the situation by charging excessive fees to motorists and members of the travelling public to pass through.
This happens right under the noses of law enforcers.
So does this mean that these kinds of actions are condoned by the State?
Is it because the temporary routes are crossing into and are on customary boundaries that fees must be being collected at will without restraint?
Last week, Works Secretary David Wereh and Sumkar MP Chris Nangoi were forced by landowners to pay K200 to use the Banab bypass road in Madang.
The bypass was constructed by villagers from Wasab after the Banab Bridge, which links the North Coast Bogia Highway to Madang, collapsed earlier this month under the weight of a heavy semi-trailer.
The two leaders were accompanied by a team from the Works Department in Madang to inspect the bypass.
Maybe out of frustration, they were charged, but the bottom line is these are the very people who are capable of expediting the collapsed Banab Bridge.
Such practices by customary landowners in Papua New Guinea goes to further uphold the view that a majority of our landowners think that they can participate in the country’s economy only in their capacity as rent-collectors.
There needs to be some control over this disorder but the State appears to be turning a blind eye or is rather indecisive in its actions at the expense of its citizens.
Vandalism was another drain on Government’s budget.
New infrastructure that could have lasted another 20 years is being replaced too frequently.
These include street lights, solar panels and fibre optics for communication lines.
Similarly, we call for development in our rural areas.
The Government responded by inviting investors to establish industries in areas where subsistence farming has been the only means of income.
But their efforts to establish factories and bring in foreign exchange are being obstructed with opportunists that deprive their own people of alternative means of income.
We are complaining of low income in areas where there are no formal income opportunities to begin with.
Surely there must be some middle ground and common sense.
We support one of our letter writers that such practices by customary landowners in Papua New Guinea goes to further uphold the view that a majority of our landowners think that they can participate in the country’s economy only in their capacity as rent-collectors.
This mindset needs to change with our people being educated to know that there are more productive ways for them to aggressively participate in the nation’s economy than to remain as a mere rent-seeker.