CHRIS OVERLAND
FRANCIS Hualupmomi (PNG Attitude, 18 August) chose to take a "glass half full" view of Papua New Guinea’s progress since gaining independence in 1975.
He has some grounds for doing so, with PNG remaining a vibrant if somewhat idiosyncratic democracy, the rule of law still honoured (if not always observed) and with a reasonable revenue stream derived from a steadily growing economy.
However, a less optimistic person might note that perhaps 90% of the people continue to survive by following their ancient subsistence based way of life, with the sometimes dubious wonders of modernity being well beyond their grasp.
The slight improvement in infant mortality and the literacy rate referred to by Francis hardly constitutes a ringing endorsement of the PNG government's efforts in relation to either health or education.
Notwithstanding demonstrations of genuine national feeling, centering especially on sporting events, it remains debatable whether PNG has yet developed a deeply entrenched shared sense of nationhood.
For all that, PNG has done rather better than many, perhaps most, post-colonial countries with similar, highly diverse linguistic and social structures. It has never looked like emulating events seen in places like Rwanda or Biafra or Somalia or even Zimbabwe.
While some might credit the "founding fathers" for this, I think it is more likely because the sheer diversity of the country conspires to prevent the emergence of either a single dictator or even a unified ruling elite.
Overall, I think that PNG has done rather better than many pessimists feared but not as well as the optimists hoped.
Francis Hualupmomi has outlined a series of tasks he believes PNG has to undertake if it is to realise its full potential and it is hard not to agree with him.
It remains to be seen whether he and others like him can successfully undertake these responsibilities over the next 40 years.