Comments on: The Pacific Marine Industrial Zone – Who Decided?

By: Who’s the Tail and Who’s the Dog Here? « the Masalai blog

Who’s the Tail and Who’s the Dog Here? « the Masalai blog — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 23:00:37 +0000

[...] on from the video and Blog Posts about the Pacific Marine Industrial Zone or PMIZ, looks like some people have actually taken to the [...]

By: The Pacific Marine Industrial Zone Revisited - With a Vengence! | Madang - Ples Bilong Mi

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:36:15 +0000

[...] The Pacific Marine Industrial Zone Revisited – With a Vengence! It seems as if the first hint of the “sabotage” mentioned in Mr. Pete Celso’s Power Point presentation promoting the The Pacific Marine Industrial Zone has already raised its vengeful head. If this seems mysterious, check my post The Pacific Marine Industrial Zone – Who Decided?” [...]

By: MadDog

MadDog — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 23:49:59 +0000

Thanks for your well-considered comment, Henry. Starting with your first paragraph, I’m assuming that you don’t paint me with the same brush. First, I do not identify myself as ‘white’, not that makes any difference in my universe. My ethnic identification is Indigenous American, specifically, Cherokee Indian. Next, though I am technically a foreigner, I’ve spent nearly three decades living in PNG. I am a Permanent Resident and I will die here. This is my home. I’ve never made much money here – missionary workers are not known for their wealth. I live modestly – very modestly by expatriate standards. I make no excuses for my concern for local matters, as they affect me for the rest of my life as much as any native-born Papua New Guinean. And I DO offer an alternative. My alternative is that we should be what we pretend to be – a democratic society.

Perhaps my comments here have been misunderstood by some. I clearly state that I am not opposed to development or even the PMIZ. What I do oppose is development without consultation. I won’t go back point-by point over my post here. I presented links to other posts because, as I stated, I found them ‘interesting’, not because I necessarily support every statement contained in them.

Henry, possibly you could re-read the post keeping in mind the title – The Pacific Marine Industrial Zone – Who Decided?

Other than the possibility that I did not make my point clear to you, I’m pretty much in agreement with your comments.

Finally, I’d like to address your comment about travel. We COULD BE a vacationer’s paradise. Papua New Guineans COULD travel to foreign destinations to develop their understanding of the outside world, IF we had an air travel rate structure that was not absurd. However, as long as it costs as much to get from Madang to Brisbane as it costs to fly from Brisbane to NYC, it’s not going to happen. Who do we have to thank for that?

I repeat my thanks to you for taking the time to comment. I value comments from all of my readers. Especially from those who read critically.

By the way, check my post for Sunday 28 September 2009 “The Pacific Marine Industrial Zone Revisited”. It illustrated the results of development without consultation.

By: Henry

Henry — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 01:34:43 +0000

I am with you in searching for answers for these lots of questions but sometimes when I reflect deeper and try to see things from different angle..I found out that most of the critics are white foreigners who either do some consultancy jobs and/or managing an NGO or to add–some guys who care only of living comfortable in PNG and making it as “their” vacation paradise. They Criticise but they offer no Alternative to make this country live a truly independent one..independent from foreign aid and develop its own resouces and technologies–including human resources at that–to finally stand on its own feet.

Investment like PMIZ probably has its flaws but it offers the PNG itself the opportunity to have the hands-on experience in doing and engaging in such business. This will facilitate technology transfer in the long run. Flaws and mistakes is unavoidable and we or you or Nancy need to offer suggestion to prevent such catashtrophy if you call it that way. To offer a solution that is to STOP the PMIZ is like sabotaging a PROCESS of economic independence of this country. Remember, PNG is not just a TOURIST VACATION PARADISE..it need to learn to do things for its own sake that someday PNG nationals could go to Australia, America and to the rest of the world to do what most Foreigners do in PNG..Vacationing, touring..

By: Surviving the Cannery « the Masalai blog

Surviving the Cannery « the Masalai blog — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 04:38:02 +0000

[...] Some good links here from Jan Messersmith’s post: [...]

By: RD Tuna - A Local Perspective | Madang - Ples Bilong Mi

RD Tuna - A Local Perspective | Madang - Ples Bilong Mi — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 03:07:44 +0000

[...] There is no person in my acquaintance that likes RD Tuna. That doesn’t mean the sentiment is universal, it just means that I don’t know everybody – nowhere near everybody. The reasons for dislike vary widely, as you might expect. Most centre not on the idea of development, but rather the type of development that we should seek. Others question why local people have little or no say in these decisions that affect huge segments of our economy, culture and habitat. I covered this issue in The Pacific Marine Industrial Zone – Who Decided? [...]

By: Pacific Marine Industrial Zone 3 « Mining Monitor – Mineral Policy Institute

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 02:21:27 +0000

[...] borrowed from messersmith who also has an article on the [...]