This former leader of PNG’s state energy supplier says we should take a leaf from the China playbook by using a “tied aid” model.
Already a subscriber?The leadership turnstile at Papua New Guinea’s state energy provider, PNG Power , is spinning once again as the search is on for another chief executive. This latest shift at one of the country’s major public companies presents an opportunity to make a real difference in PNG, and to muscle up toPPL’s next chief executive – the 13th in the last 18 years – will lead one of the most inefficient national electricity systems anywhere.
My resignation, which had serious legal implications for me, was necessary as I knew the deal would load PPL and the people of PNG with a commercial timebomb. China’s firm grasp on this vital infrastructure asset will help advance its strategic and financial agenda. Tied aid is when a donor country uses its own companies or contractors to provide technical and financial assistance. It is common practice when the receiving country is an autocracy, or governance is otherwise challenged. The practice allows for a closer people-to-people dynamic, which would serve Australian interests well, as well as ensuring adaptive and sustainable programs for PNG.
We are shying away from deploying what we do best in PNG, apparently for fear of upsetting the incumbent government.
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