Fix problems now to avoid bigger chaos

 I AM confused. Who is telling us the truth regarding the true state of the PNG’s economy?

I noted that Finance Minister James Marape’s comment on Aug 5 was for PNG to “stay calm”.

He assured that the nation’s economy is well managed.

Interestingly, on Aug 7, the Government, through Treasury Minister Patrick Pruaitch, said the department’s mid-year economic and fiscal outlook (which was released last week) showed that “fiscal outlook has deteriorated in the first half of 2015”.

He said apart from priority areas like health and education, “all sectors will have their expenditure appropriation reduced”.

Are those two ministers sending us contradictory outlooks?

In the same edition of the paper, a visiting fellow Paul Flanagan’s article stated something to the effect that “PNG’s fiscal figures are frightening”.

In the same issue too, Opposition leader Don Polye accused Prime Minister Peter O’Neill and his economic advisers for failing to manage the national economy prudently.  

Who shall we believe?

Were they all looking at the same facts and figures and commenting or were they looking at different sets of data?

Personally, I think we have a big problem but the Government is not being honest.

There are many schools still waiting for the tuition fee free funds and the classrooms are shrinking in size due to the influx of students enrolling to benefit from the policy.

This problem is not a 2015 problem. It was present last year but the Government did not address it. The same can be said of health services which are supposed to be better, or free, so we are assured by the Government.

But are they really free? Or, are people flocking to private hospital for faster, better services?

Last week there was talk of Manam Islanders still not getting relief help from the Government.

If the Government cannot quickly act, then that shows we have a problem. You do not have to look at a sheet with figures to conclude. Failure to respond to relief support shows that there is a problem. 

Now, there is something approaching that will possibly validate “or try” the comments we have been getting from the Government ministers saying “All is well”.

I am talking about an impending El Nino, which the weather and disaster men have been notifying us of. Are we ready for the drought? Do we have enough in our national reserves to help us weather the drought? Or, are our reserves empty?

The drought will give us that answer.   

PNG Tauna

Port Moresby