Papua New Guinean's faces a vitally important choice. Should we continue to implement an imported and failed model of development, which is based on unrestrained capitalism, or return to our roots, rediscover our National Goals and follow a more Melanesian development path?

In the West, unrestrained capitalism has led to a global financial melt-down, greater wealth inequality than at any time in history, catastrophic environmental damage and global warming.

In the countries of Africa, and in Papua New Guinea, the same model has displaced local economic systems with disastrous results: corruption, poverty and hunger, the alienation of people from their land and the destruction of local cultures.

The development choice we face has been reflected in the blog posts on the ACT NOW! website over the past month.

Some posts have highlighted the failure of major resource projects and large foreign investments to improve the lives of ordinary Papua New Guineans:

• Papua New Guinea's poor still waiting for a fair share
• No justice for mining affected communities
• A failed model of development is letting our children down
• Mining boom promises unprecedented riches for who?

Other posts have looked at what the options are:

• Forget the LNG lets concentrate on agriculture
• Can PNG find a better economic model?

The recent huge land grab that has seen 11% of Papua New Guinea's land mass stolen from local communities reflects another aspect of the failed model of development that is advocated by foreign interests and our gullibale politicians. The controversy over the land grab continues to get plenty of attention as we still wait for a government announcement on the details of the Commission of Inquiry:

• TI pushes for SABL land probe
• Post Courier reminds Abal of his commitment
• PM's land reform promises a sham
• SABL land grab: An open letter

The video Portions of Paradise: Vanuatu's land grab illustrates how the development choice that we face in PNG is also shared in other Melanesian countries.

The opposition to the Pacific Marine Industrial Park, the World Bank's plans for Special Economic Zones and China's new push for SEZ's on Bougainville are also part of the debate over which model of development we are going to follow in the future:

• Locals dispute PMIZ land ownership
• Chinese push for SEZ laws on Bougainville
• IFC refuses to answer questions on SEZ laws
• Momis backs Chinese SEZ plan for Bougainville
• Growing opposition to PNG's Pacific Marine Industrial Zone

The unrestrained corruption that has accompanied foreign investment in Papua New Guinea, beginning with the logging industry and now pervasive across all sectors of the economy, steals access to basic services like health and education and featured in several blog articles during June:

• Should PNG publish resource contracts online?
• Basil queries delay on Finance Inquiry 
• Corruption is destroying our dreams for the future

What are your views on the development choices we face in Papua New Guinea?

Please have you say by posting a comment on any of the blog articles or send in your own article for publishing. Alternatively, join the discussion on the ACT NOW! facebook page.