PNG NRI

This year, EPAC enrolled 51 participants out of 92 applications for eight weeks from 6^th September to 29 October 2021. 48 participants completed the course.

The performance of the EPAC 2021 participants was exemplary. Four students scored Higher Distinction; 20 with Distinction, 17 with Credit and the remaining seven got a Pass.

PNG NRI Director, Dr. Osborne Sanida, welcomed everyone to the 8th Political Parties’ Seminar Series and thanked and acknowledged the participating Party Executives.

General Secretary of PNG Party Kila Poka presented the party’s policies and said the party aims to serve the people to become educated, healthy, wealthy, and productive. The party believes on the Principles of Vision 2050 as its foundational pillars.

Integral to this is frequent handwashing and good hygiene practice but it requires sufficient access to clean water supply and proper sanitation facilities.

Therefore, investment in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) should be prioritized to ensure healthy livelihood and sustainable progress amid the challenges inflicted by the pandemic at this time.

The Registrar said the Integrity of Political Parties & Candidates Commission (IPPCC) has pushed political parties to open their memberships so that women can become members. He said since 1977, political parties have refused to endorse women due to doubt in their capabilities as leaders.

Dr Gelu said women are intelligent and strong. They successfully run their homes and hold offices at all levels in private and government organizations. He posed the question, “What is the problem?” in regards to PNG’s reality of having no women representation in Parliament.

Dr Gelu was speaking at the 8^th presentation of the PNG Political Parties Seminar Series facilitated by the PNG Research Institute (PNG NRI).

“Let’s keep the policy short, let’s not go above five. If we go to ten, we will forget some of those policies. It is quite unrealistic. How can you get ten policies in to an election? Let’s bring it down and then focus and drive those policies,” Dr Gelu said.

Dr Gelu said the seminar series gives the opportunity to all the political parties to present their policies.

The party’s three policy platforms are:

1. God First,
2. Integral Human Development, and
3. Zero Tolerance on Corruption

PNG Party’s ‘God First’ platform would ensure that 10% of the national budget would best serve the churches in the country. Their reasoning, ‘Where there are no government services, the church is always there to uphold the need of the people’.

Dr Sanida highlighted the importance of increasing government revenue to fund its expenditure plan considering the deficit financing that has occurred over the recent past. Thus, it has become ever so important to focus on mechanisms that will increase Government revenue.

Marketplaces play an important economic function to create employment for workers, generate revenue for local and provincial authorities, provide opportunities for small businesses, and contribute to economic growth.

Given the significant social and economic benefits of markets, there is a strong argument for market policy, planning and implementation to be integrated into mainstream municipal and local government policy and regulatory systems.

In a research paper released by the PNG NRI stated:
This recommendation was based on the grim results from a study (PNG NRI Spotlight Volume 14, Issue 15 entitled: Why some of Papua New Guinea’s urban residents are reluctant to take COVID-19 vaccine? Strategy to increase vaccination rates) carried out in Goroka, Kokopo, Lae and Mt. Hagen on whether the residents have been vaccinated against COVID-19 and why most of them have not got the jab.

Titled ‘Why some of Papua New Guinea’s urban residents are reluctant to take covid-19 vaccine? Strategy to increase vaccination rates’ – the study covers six key points: