Weak data leads to poor decisions

 IN a world today that is inundated with information, PNG is starved of accurate, up-to-date data and statistics.

In the age of internet information on virtually every field from governance to medicine and food, the available data covering this country is unreliable  or just plain wrong.

Almost every major report on any sector in this country carries a disclaimer at the start: “Information is so scarce and what little is there is unreliable … but based on what we have been able to gather, here is the result …”

This, of course, often makes redundant the entire report because it is based on less than optimum facts and figures.

The budget is drawn up year after year but government information on population distribution in the wards, districts, electorates and provinces is scarce. At best, money is allocated based on guesstimates.

Major economic projects are undertaken in the country without any effort to do a cost-benefit analysis; or do a survey on the long term impact of the project.

The people have overcome many natural disasters and emergencies but little is recorded for posterity so they can deal with such si­tuations better with little loss of property and lives.

As an example, the manner in which the people of Rabaul were evacuated in less than a day with no loss of life when the twin volcanic eruptions of Tavurvur and Vulcan happened in 1994, does not seem to exist in some permanent record to assist other population centres in this volatile volcano- and earthquake-prone seismic region.

Most of our educational institutions are today more attuned to turning out wor­kers, rather than engaging in research to add know­ledge to PNG’s intellectual resources.

In that regard, we welcome Education Minister James Marape’s challenge yesterday to a group of professionals to be “innovative and consistent if it is genuine about sharing information, knowledge and skills to advance development”. 

The University of PNG Masters of Business Administration Alumni Association was launched last Friday in Port Moresby with the vital role of fostering partnerships between and among its alumni, industry players, the government and UPNG School of Business Administration.

The object is to ensure that information derived from research, implementation of policies, laws and world class business practices are mutually shared so as to build and strengthen the country’s human capital. 

Marape said: “Such initiatives go beyond the agendas of top salary, status or position. 

“They empower individuals to have better choices in life through the information and skills that will be provided through this network.

“This is a great opportunity for the people to give to the development of the nation and you must be consistent and genuine in this partnership for business development. 

“Deploy your skills and talents and exhaustive knowledge to create positive avenues for better education. 

“Keep on doing what you have pledged to do in assisting in providing quality education to the nation, (this is) a constructive way of achieving our nation’s deve­lopment. 

“Be the agents of change.”

That is a challenge that must go to not just the members of this alumni but of every alumni and professional body in the country.

Our attention span is li­mited and more often than not we are fed absolutely the wrong information on what to do and how to respond to certain problems besetting us individually and as a nation.

Organising to receive correct information is vital to functioning at peak efficiency to deliver results.

Researching or gathering information is critical for governance. 

Yet there is so little effort and resources spent on information gathering today.

In conclusion, research and knowledge gathering is very vital to everyday decision making. 

It arms people with the correct information to make right decisions the first time and saves them time and money.