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| Development challenges |
| Written by National Research Institute |
| Friday, 09 April 2010 04:52 |
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Networking and partnership between the Government, community, churches, NGOs and development partners in Papua New Guinea gives clear links to service delivery mechanisms and reinforces democratic governance at the community level… By Michael George Many interesting experiences and achievements were shared by local initiatives such as Integrated Community Development in Domil in the Western Highlands Province, the livestock farmers of Salt-Nomane sub-districts in Simbu Province, the Pamusa Community Development in the Eastern Highlands Province and the Tubasa Farming Association in the Central Province. Domil’s experience was based on an integrated model of governance – the blending of introduced and traditional models. The traditional model of ‘hausman system’ was employed as a model for participatory democracy and effective governance at the community level. Community governance at that level provided an effective tool for social mobilisation, community initiative and ownership using bottom-up approaches. Despite the efforts and initiatives taken by many committed individuals and communities in Papua New Guinea to meaningfully contribute to effecting positive changes, their efforts seem to go unchallenged. The initiatives taken and the experiences shared by various development practitioners during the conference were subject to many challenges. The challenges, as NRI researcher, Dr Michael Unage echoed, were in the areas of networking and partnership among relevant stakeholders. Networking and partnership was a critical point of reference and an important development agenda recommended by almost every individual speaker at the conference. Networking and partnership fosters important development challenges, and there were expressions of unclear links and misalignment of the State’s service delivery mechanisms at the sub-national levels. The missing linksResearch and studies have identified many loopholes and misalignment of national development goals and objectives. Conference participants Aize Johnson and Joseph Sukwianomb highlighted that there are missing links in most of PNG’s development plans including the Papua New Guinea Constitution and the Medium Term Development Strategy. The missing links have also hindered effective service delivery to the communities. Service delivery is one of the seven focal areas of the 2010-2050 National Strategic Plan (NSP) Framework. At the NSP Leaders Summit in Lae, leaders highlighted service delivery to be a significant commitment for the Government to arrest the decline in rural development, and the issue of unclear links with vital service delivery mechanisms for the next 10 years.
During his address at the Lae summit, chairman of the National Strategic Plan Task Force, Professor David Kavanamur, stated that the NSP looks at plugging the missing links between wards and LLGs, between LLGs and districts, and between districts and the provinces. The challenge was to link gaps and loopholes at the sub-national levels. Nevertheless, the issue of unequal service delivery to the community underpins a formidable dilemma in community governance because there are unclear lines of power and functions between the three-tier systems of governance. Sir Barry Holloway raised concern over the need to have a new ‘social contact’ between the government and the people for ‘shared responsibility’. Social contact and shared responsibility is an issue of connectivity which is the focal area of NSP under service delivery. Shared responsibility is an important step forward to arrest and minimise the problem of unclear lines of responsibility in the current structures of government and helps plug in the connectivity between the government, community, churches, NGOs and development partners to effectively integrate the local community and the settings for community governance. The clear settings for community governance were associated with the notion of decentralisation of powers and functions between the national government and the local-level government. However, with the three-tier system of 1995, devolution of powers and functions was only seen at the provincial headquarters. The 1995 arrangements have shown an abrupt increase in the number of public servants, with a high demand on administrative costs and salaries resulting in spending outside of the MTDS priorities. The churches, NGOs, and corporate businesses have done their part in providing social services to the people, but with less or no clear lines of responsibilities and links to community-based initiatives. The social contact and shared responsibilities as a way forward reinvigorates networking and partnership. Networking and partnershipA development agenda recommended by all development practitioners, scholars, and managers during the conference was networking and partnership. Dr. Naihuwo Ahai from the Democratic Governance Program, AusAID, stated that networking and partnership is the quintessence of democratic governance towards influencing changes in the community. Democracy is about people having ultimate power, or in other words, a government by the people and for the people. The process is an important link between the state and the people. Clarity in the process allows for effective delivery of goods and services. Networking and partnership is the pathway to enhancing mobilisation and enforces networking at the national level, involving all state institutions and agencies. The central agencies or policy making bodies in state institutions are to mobilise and bring in their specialty and expertise through an integrated approach with a focus on linking community, civil society, churches, NGOs and the state mechanisms at the sub-national level. The way forwardThe way forward is to strengthen social contact and shared responsibility between the government, community, churches and NGOs in order to draw clear lines and links between delivery mechanisms for effective community governance. This can be done through:
Michael George is a cadet researcher with the social and environmental studies division at the National Research Institute. This article was published with permission from National Research Institute of Papua New Guinea. NRI website can be accessed at www.nri.org.pgWhat do you think about this article? Add you comments and views below:
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