‘A hive of activity’ and ‘a storm brewing’ are two phrases that have different connotations, one simply  meaning a lot happening and the other implying the situation about to get volatile. But both to do with many things happening in close proximity. Well how about inside one’s head, one’s thoughts for proximity?

Inside my head there has been ‘a hive of activity’ and at one stage you could have even said that ‘trouble was brewing’ because of one statement that really hit home because it was said by someone whose opinion is of great value to me.

Development. One word that you hear over and over again in Papua New Guinea and especially during this time – the all Hallowed Election Period. Seems EVERYONE is talking development from Primary School aged children (*Man ya tokim Papa olsem em bai karim planti development kam, na bai em wokim niupla classroom bilong yumi) to the most obvious people i.e. those that are contesting the 2012 National Elections.

There are many different yardsticks used to measure development because development is something that is relevant to the society that it is taking place (or maybe NOT taking place) in. One yard stick is the one that is used by those who many of our leaders (and teachers MISTAKENLY) say are ‘Developed Nations’.

Nations like England, Switzerland, and the United States and of course the two nations whose presence is ever felt in the Pacific - Australia and China. These nations measure their ‘development’ according to what they call ‘a standard of living’. This ‘standard’ is where everyone in that particular nation earns and lives on a particular minimum amount of their currency (measured almost always against American Dollars – Lord knows why! *Ben Franklin ino tumbuna bilong mi na bai mi bisi lo em) AND everyone lives strives to live in a particular way.

So THEIR yard stick is supposed to be the index that we all should measure ‘our’ development by, according to some of our (schizophrenic, narcissistic, manic depressive – okay just plain CRAZY) politicians and those that are ‘interested’ in assisting with the development of PNG.

But forget about those developed nations sticks! Back to our own stick for a moment. I mentioned earlier that someone whose opinion I value said to me while discussing development and the viability of the mining industry in PNG, “Those of us that come from areas where there are no mineral resources, no cash crops are happy to have mines in PNG because that means that in the end at least we get something right? There is money coming in - just the people managing it need to be kicked out!”

The fact that our grandchildren might potentially be living in a country that has no clean natural waterways because of mine waste disposal; marginalized indigenous people; great disparity in the incomes of the indigenous people and foreign nationals (though this is already happening); no cultural integrity and pride and a dysfunctional society. Things that should be naturally associated with mines as shown by other mineral rich nations were not a natural association. That is when the hive and the storm started.

Have we already been bought? Do we really think that development is only achieved through earning millions of billions of *Kina?

Maybe it’s time we stop holding up other peoples sticks and lifted our own mother-of-a-branch that’s been lying forgotten in the mud for a couple of decades now.

You know the branch that includes sets our goals as*olgeta man meri must be free from every form of domination or oppression. That yumi olgeta should have the opportunity to develop and participate while benefiting from the development of PNG. *Yumi olgeta be politically and economically independent. Use natural resources and environment for the benefit of yumi olgeta so ol tumbuna blo yumi bai benefit and finally that we achieve this ‘development’ our way! Using our forms of social, political and economic organization.

*Man ya tokim Papa olsem em bai karim planti development kam, na bai em wokim niupla classroom bilong yumi = That man told my father that he would bring a lot of development here and that he would build us new classrooms.

*Ben Franklin ino tumbuna bilong mi na bai mi bisi lo em = Why should I bother about Ben Franklin after all he’s not my ancestor/forefather

*Kina = PNG’s legal tender

*olgeta man meri = all men and women/everyone

*Yumi olgeta= all of us and not excluding anyone

*Mipla olgeta= all of us but excluding you the reader or audience