Vision helps shape our future

 Introduction

PNG Vision 2050: A Critique for the Development of Papua New Guinea is the title of my latest book. 

This book is written to capture the thinking, discussions, actions and aspirations of the current political and bureaucratic leaders of PNG.   

This book was written to motivate, educate, and encourage the present generation of students attending primary schools, high schools and universities and colleges of higher education institutions to think positively towards creating a prosperous society for PNG.  

The present generation of students will be the beneficiaries of the current decisions and actions undertaken by our political and bureaucratic leaders.  

I intended to provide in this book a critique for critical analysis of the nation’s vision to create a ‘smart, wise, fair, healthy and happy society’ by the year 2050.  

This long-term vision is to be ach­ieved through eight Medium Term Development Plans (MTDPs) of five-year cycles which will plan significant impact projects, prioritise these projects, and channel resources to achieve development aspirations of PNG.  

PNG has a national development direction or vision through the PNG Vision 2050. This effectively means PNG has 35 years to achieve PNG Vision 2050.  

PNG must align all sectoral corporate and strategic plans and channel its energy and resources into the critical areas identified as the seven (7) pillars of PNG Vision 2050. 

An ‘addendum’ was added to include ‘sustainable development and green growth’ as another pillar for which a degree programme was launched at the University of Papua New Guinea.  

This approach is excellent as the Vision must be embedded in the relevant sectoral programmes to give effect, relevance, reason and meaning to future leaders to strive for the common national vision.

The PNG Development Strategic Plan 2010-2030 (PNG DSP 2010-2030) envisages for PNG to achieve a ‘Middle Income Country’ status by the year 2030 (a mere 15 years or roughly four  national elections away).  

According to PNG DSP 2010-2030, there were to be five MTDPs.  

The first of the MTDP (2010-2014) must have been reviewed last year in order to provide relevant evidence and necessary information towards framing the next MTDP (2015-2019).  I am not privy to the first MTDP (2010-2014) review but I do have some initial insights into the discussion, thinking, visioning, planning and strategising that I have briefly captured here.

Alignment of Vision 2050 into sectoral plans

The PNG Vision 2050 is aligned to a multi-layer of other over-arching global and local development plans and aspirations.  

For example, the PNG Vision 2050 is aligned to the ‘national goals and directive principles’ embedded in the Constitution and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).  

Since the visioning for PNG Vision 2050 is cascaded from the MDG and the Constitution, it is theo­retically expected that all state agencies, for example; Government departments, state authorities and constitutional offices, State-owned enterprises, commodity boards, pro­vincial administrations, district administrations, local-level government administrations, and individual wards were to further align their respective development plans to the PNG Vision 2050 in a cascading and logical manner.  

The expectation for all state agencies to apply cascading logic to their respective development plans is to ensure that the people at the ward or the family unit level realise the MDGs, the national goals and directive principles, the PNG Vision 2050 and sectoral development plans, which must help contribute in­crementally toward improving the living standards and quality of life for an individual.

Conferences, summits, consultations, workshops were organised and other publicity information were produced coupled with general awareness and advocacy to help guide the state agencies to align their sectoral plans before and including the year of implementation in 2010.  

Sadly, (in my personal view) many state agencies have not fully aligned their sectoral development plans to the PNG Vision 2050.  

Even after the first four years of implementing the PNG Vision 2050, we have yet to see full alignment by the sectors and therefore the review of the first MTDP (2010-2014) could reveal gaps and mismatches in policy direction and resource allocation.

When sectoral development plans are not aligned to the PNG Vision 2050, PNG, as a nation, is unlikely to achieve PNG’s national goals and directive principles and United Nationals’ MDGs.  

When sectoral development plans are not aligned to the PNG Vision 2050, funds budgeted for development projects could be spent outside of the planned area.  

Money spent on unplanned areas means it will negate the intention to improve the standard and quality of life for an individual, which is normally measured as socio-economic indicators for a country.  

When sectoral development plans are not aligned to the PNG Vision 2050, PNG’s socio-economic indicators will be negatively impacted and therefore PNG is unlikely to achieve the ‘Middle Income Country’ status.  

Hence, such situation would place PNG’s development in the lower rungs of globally measured socio-economic indicators. 

Sectoral leaders such as CEOs of SOEs, departmental heads and constitutional office holders who failed to ensure their sector aligned their corporate and work plans to PNG Vision 2050 should be compelled to tow the line.  

The sector leaders failed to comply with the legitimate instructions from the authority despite the fact that the Chief Secretary’s office had directed them to align their plans to the PNG Vision 2050 and identify three impact projects with projected cash-flows in implementing the PNG Vision 2050.  

When bureaucratic leaders fail to align their sector plans to PNG Vision 2050, they are acting against the grain of development thinking so what guarantee is there that PNG’s socio-economic indicators will improve and gradually help PNG to reach the ‘Middle Income County’ status by 2030 or achieve a ‘smart, wise, fair, healthy and happy society’ by 2050.  

Every single step or action we take in aligning our sectoral development plans to the PNG Vision 2050 and every single step