Local leaders left out

THE recently-signed Wafi-Golpu MoU between national government and developers – Harmony Gold and Newcrest – fails to embrace the principles of sustainable and inclusive development.
The principle number one, “consultative and collective participation,” has already been bypassed, regardless of whether the signing was merely to affirm the parties’ intent to proceed with the Wafi-Golpu project (Basil, The National Dec 13).
Affirmation of project intent between the state and developer means that the process of decision making has effectively started without the third-party – Wafi Golpu community and Morobe government.
Basil claimed to represent Bulolo and Wafi-Golpu as a local MP in the signing process but he is not as he is already participating as a State minister, supposedly wearing double caps as Energy Minister responsible for two State-owned enterprises – Kumul Mining Holdings Ltd and Kumul Petroleum Holdings Ltd, on top of ICT portfolios.
Therefore, his position is not as a genuine representative and as such, the exclusion of Morobe government and Wafi-Golpu community has implied that the signing process undermines the relevance of civic democratic process and in effect, questions the idea of sustainable and inclusive development.
The way forward is for the State and developers to offer an opportunity to every legitimate member, including Morobe government, to participate at every stage of consultation and decision-making.
This is to ensure that the local communities are not only informed of the decisions that are already made somewhere in Waigani or overseas, but they should be part of a decision-making process from the very beginning.
In doing so, Wafi-Golpu community and provincial government are not only accepting an alternative vision of their future, designed by few individual elites and politicians, but they should be participating in adding insights and local wisdom into building visions that are authentic and that is able to map out their pathways into desired future.
It is recommended that Basil needs to consult the report by the Constitutional Planning Committee (CPC, Report, 1974).
The CPC report states that “we leaders and people must know where we want to go before we can decide how we should get there”.
Before a driver starts a motor car, he should first decide on his destination.
Otherwise his driving will be without purpose, and he will achieve nothing.
The road which we should follow ought to be marked out so that all will know the way ahead (CPC Report, 1974, Chapter 2, Section 4).
Basil, you are now in the driver’s seat and so I urge you to work together with Morobe government to mark out clearly the road ahead.
Show the Wafi-Golpu locals the journey they need to take and possible destiny they will arrive at.

Michael G
Waigani