By Reginald Renagi (PNG Attitude)

SINCE INDEPENDENCE our political leadership has been found wanting.

The MP elected by parliament to become the CEO of PNG Inc represents the people as well as being head of government. As Prime Minister, he alone must take responsibility for the way our country’s national business is conducted.

PNG's early vision was good and noble in its intentions. The national interests clearly stated in our constitution are enduring and still valid today. but unfulfilled by the state and its agencies over the years.

Had we followed our earlier plans diligently, then PNG would be a better country and a just society. This unfortunately is not the case 35 years after becoming independent fromAustralia.

Many reasons contributed to PNG’s present woes. However, the main factor must be directly attributed to political leaders since independence. 

Successive PMs, as captains of the ship of state, never really stuck to one course. And they failed to ensure the ship’s business was managed by competent crew. They also failed to ensure the officers were fit and up to the task.

The PNG ship was not ready for sea in 1975. The then Australian administration failed to diligently prepare the ship for sea. Australia did not exercise its full duty of care.

Also, the captain was in a hurry to go to sea, so perhaps saw no need for more preparation.

Australia knew our man was in a hurry. It could have delayed the sailing plan until it was confident the ship was ready for sea.

But Australia failed its important duty as colonial administrator of our country.

Sadly, the then and current captain - in his quiet moments - is probably regretful that he has not made a very good job of captaincy as he contemplates life after retirement.

The man at the helm should know what is wrong with our ship. Is he able to fix the problems now, before it is too late? The writer and many other PNG observers have great reservations about this prospect. Father Time waits for no man.

PNG is where it is today because of leadership failure. Many bad things have happened in PNG because of inaction by its many captains over the years.

The passenger’s have been ignored and they are angry, frustrated and rebellious.

The solution is obvious. Activate our leadership succession plan now. The time is right to make a change and it is needed today before the ship runs aground.

PNG needs fresh, new, competent political leadership. The leader must be someone with a heart for PNG who knows what the job entails and can do it well without compromise.

So, in review, PNG had a good vision at independence. But through poor political leadership, the country is not where it planned to be 35 years ago.

In 1975, Australia failed big time to not properly prepare PNG. Due to this grand strategic failure, Australia is now shamelessly spending billions of its taxpayers' dollars trying to buy PNG out of trouble.

Australia should have seen this coming 35 years before, but pretended ignorance at the time. It wanted to see a quick ship's launching and immediate delivery to the new owners with no moral sense of doing the right thing by PNG.

Whether it is Julia or Tony in charge does not really matter to PNG. What matters is how the new Australian leadership will constructively deal with PNG and its errant political leadership and with the country's difficult development challenges.

Reginald Renagi is a former senior PNG naval officer. He also trained and served on many different classes of warship in the Royal Australian Navy and he remains a trainer of seafarers.