Social development vital for our future

 PAPUA New Guinea is currently undergoing rapid social and economic development. 

However, it’s doubtful whether the development is addressing the social issues. 

Obviously, our country is experiencing unsynchronised or unbalanced development where development is occurring in areas that are economically active. 

The development of the country is flowing very fast, and my concern is about the increasing social issues in the communities around the country. 

One of the significant social issues reported in the media is the “sex credit scheme” that is happening in the country. 

This is because the development of the country is ‘distorted’ meaning development without social changes. 

Our country is developing economically but social growth remain stagnant.

The sex credit scheme, unemployment, poverty and other social issues arises because; there is unequal distribution of social services in our country. 

When the development is fast, most of our people in the society cannot cope with the speed of the development. These groups of people suffer and some turns into illegal activities as a way to access services brought by the development. 

In other words, development has both negative and positive impacts. 

One of the negative impacts of development is increase in social problems such as prostitution or sex credit scheme which further leads to increase in HIV/AIDS.

Development of our country is centralised or unsynchronized. In fact, the development in urban areas is faster than that of rural areas. 

Our Government seems to spend much on economically active areas where there is flow of money and people leaving economically inactive areas.

It is important that, we plan in such a way that economic development should control or minimise social issues rather than creating pathways for social issues to arise. 

Sky Bobeng

UPNG, Waigani