Digging and Piping Out Papua New Guinea Dry

Implementing Sustainability From The Start

The implementation of large-scale projects should therefore involve aspects of both social and economical engineering to shape up the kind of society and self-sustaining economy that we want. For instance, the introduction of agriculture in the Western Province has been a new concept to the people. The people are entirely dependent on the river system and there is little or no gardening and domestication of animals as is extensively practiced in other parts of PNG. If OTML and the government had a long-term strategy in place to address the lifestyle of the people, the introduction of farming would have been implemented since the conception of the mine. By today, the villages along the river would become already self-sufficient, having fresh vegetables and meat from their own yards. On a larger scale, the current introduction of commercial fish farming and other projects which the mine is actively investing would have been done a long time ago. These projects will never be sustained once the mine closes in 2010.

Government Needs Foresight in Planning

Can PNG carefully consider the short term benefits verses the short term costs, long term sacrifices verses long-term sustainable environmental, political, economical, social and cultural benefits of such? Building self-sustaining economies and related infrastructure to support the change in lifestyle should commence simultaneously with the initiation of the resource development. Social and cultural changes should be predicted and the necessary steps to contain and sustain those changes after the life of the project should begin from day one. After the end of mine life, what is left behind should be a self-sustaining, robust economy (micro & macro) that had been conceived and nurtured by the mine, having reach a state of self-sustainability over the life of the mine and thereafter. What is the economical and social outlook of PNG after all non-renewable resources are run dry and our forestry and fisheries resources become exhausted? Can the 5-year term governments of PNG see beyond their line of duty and gaze another 20 to 30 years down the line and even further and realise the realities that lie far and beyond? Can we close a deal on the current pipeline project with at least some tangible, sustainable economic ventures in mind? Why do we have to pipe all it all out and run PNG dry?

The Conclusion: PNG Turned Into A Craving Animal

Let it be assured that when the pipeline deal is closed and after all is drained out, Tari will not change; it will be the same as it is today but even worse off. The majority of the Wangbins and the Telefomins still live a poverty lifestyle; the little they get from the mine, being stopped will have drastic effects. The Ipili man of Porgera will sadly perish back into a hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Of the overall PNG economy, what is going to be left behind of PJV and OTML is not a sustainable economy but a craving animal that wants more, finding it incapable of feeding itself. And to feed the craving animal, we are being prostituted for whatever is being offered on the table.