As PNG approaches its 50th year of Independence it is timely to look at the transition from colonial rule from Australia, neo-colonial influence, and Independence.
According to Google Ai:
‘neocolonialism’ is a system of economic, political, and cultural exploitation by former colonial powers. It’s a form of imperialism that uses indirect means to control developing countries . . .
‘It achieves this by using economic and cultural policies along with ‘conditional-aid’ to control developing countries . . .
‘It results in a legacy of poor global health outcomes and widespread health system inequalities and has kept some artificially poor . . .’
According to Wikipedia:
‘Neocolonialism is the control by a state (usually, a former colonial power) over another nominally independent state (usually, a former colony) through indirect means. The term neocolonialism was first used after World War II to refer to the continuing dependence of former colonies on foreign countries, but its meaning soon broadened to apply, more generally, to places where the power of developed countries was used to produce a colonial-like exploitation . . .
‘Neocolonialism takes the form of economic imperialism, globalization, cultural imperialism and conditional aid to influence or control a developing country instead of the previous colonial methods of direct military control or indirect political control (hegemony) . . .
‘Neocolonialism differs from standard globalisation and development aid in that it typically results in a relationship of dependence, subservience, or financial obligation towards the neocolonialist nation.’
Canberra’s Creeping Neocolonialism
To avoid the stigma of ‘colonialism’ Australia now subcontracts its influence in PNG to international conglomerates such as ABT Global which is headquartered in the United States and runs its ‘Kokoda Initiative’ program via Oxford Policy Management out of the United Kingdom.
The original agreement to ‘protect‘ the Kokoda Trail was developed by the Department of Environment, Water Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA).
The Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) which has responsibility for Gallipoli was sidelined – it was argued that DEWHA was responsible for overseas areas related to Australia’s ‘Heritage’, so they got the gig.
A short time later, ‘Heritage’ was removed from the title and DEWHA was rebadged as the Department of Department of Sustainability Environment Water Population and Communities (DSEWPC).
More recently they rebadged DPSEWPC as the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and water (DCCEEW).
Canberra’s influence in PNG increased with the incorporation of a ‘Climate Change and Development Authority’ which was added to the charter for the Minister for Environment and Conservation. The Authority is managed by their Conservationn Environment Protection Authority (CEPA) which is the recipient of of significant aid funding for their ‘Kokoda Initiative.
Canberra’s ‘Kokoda’ Hijack
Canberra’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water (DCCEEW) webiste boasts:
‘We lead Australia’s response to climate change and sustainable energy use, and protect our environment, heritage and water.”
Whilst there is nothing related to the identification and interpretation of our shared military heritage with PNG they then used a masterful bureaucratic manoeuvre to hijack the word ‘Kokoda’ to give revelevance to their woke agenda for PNG with the following claim on their website:
“The Kokoda Initiative is a partnership between the Papua New Guinean and Australian governments to sustainably develop the Kokoda Track (sic) and protect the surrounding Owen Stanley Ranges.”
Once Kokoda Initiative officials were embedded within CEPA they then rebadged the gazetted area of the Kokoda Trail as the ‘Kokoda Corridor‘ which extended its geographical boundary to Sirinumu Dam on the south coast in Central Province to the north coast beachhead areas of Buna, Gona and Sananadna in Oro Province, along with a large chunk of the Owen Stanley Ranges to the east and west. It was akin to reclaiming some Australian territory which had been transferred to PNG 50 years ago!
This has provided a smorgasbord of opportunity for foreign aid-funded academics, environmentalists, anthropologists, archaeologists, and social engineers to ‘study‘ Papua New Guineans and their land. It is reminiscent of author, Keith Wiley’s pre-independence observation in 1965 (Assignment New Guinea):
‘In recent years the academics have discovered New Guinea. Grave, plump, portentous, they swarm north in their hundreds each winter where at times they become so numerous that every bush and stone seems to conceal a lurking bureaucrat or anthropologist. After a few weeks or a few months they return home to prepare brisk solutions for all the problems which beset the land. Too often they see New Guinea coldly as an exercise in nation-building to be carried out as quickly as possible, with one eye on the taxpayer at home and the other on some ranting demagogue in the United Nations.’
It is instructive that there is nothing associated with the protection of our wartime heritage in their title which is to:
‘sustainably develop the Kokoda Track (sic) and the surrounding Owen Stanley Ranges’.
A chronology of their failure to manage Kokoda tourism for the benefit of pilgrimage trekkersare listed on the following link:
Canberra’s Woke Agenda for Kokoda
Canberra’s woke agenda for the Kokoda Trail is exposed in their 2019 Annual Report for their ‘Kokoda Initiative Partnership’ which prioritises ‘gender equity’ over pilgrmage:
- 2019 Kokoda Initiative Annual Report: A Betrayal of our Kokoda Legacy!
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‘Climate Change’ is now the priority aid-funded industry in PNG today – and local influencers and grifters have been quick to pick up on the financial benefits they can accrue by subscribing to Canberra’s woke agenda.
Oro Governor, Gary Juffa, once a strong advocate for Kokoda tourism, is now more concerned with ‘global boiling’ as he announced to an admiring audience of climate zealots attending the 2023 Garma Festival in the Northern Territory.
“We must take stock now in the face of global boiling”, Juffa said in reference to comments by United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
Oro Governor Gary JuFFA SPEAKING AT THE 2023 gARMA CONFERENCE IN aRNHEM LAND
“We’re already at the precipice”.
