Development

Sitting with my village family in the evenings, the talk often turns to development. Even when they’re speaking in Kope I can tell when this topic comes up, as words like ‘development’, ‘plantation’, and ‘pipeline’ starting slipping in. The conversation also has a hopeful tone. When the conversation is in English and I can participate, I am torn between hope and doubt.

The only wage earners in our village are the school teachers. Everyone else lives a subsistence lifestyle, which is hard work. Everyone also has a relative earning income somewhere, income that helps to support them, raise their living standards and making life a little easier. Development brings with it the promise of more ways to earn income, a better life and an easier life. I can see the appeal.

The neat patterns of a palm oil plantation from the air.

Development also brings its challenges. Oil palm is known to be back breaking work and an industry that destroys ecosystems. Logging companies cut down timbers that took generations to grow and do not do planned reforestation. Oil and gas companies have the best local reputation, but extracting the fuels that contribute to global warming when we live so close to sea level and are at the mercy of rising seas seems counterproductive. Friends at home boycott palm oil and rainforest timbers, and seek to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels. In the village, these things are the promise of better times.

When I can, I raise some of the issues I am aware of, and each time I have been impressed that leadership appears to already be taking these things into account. I may be afraid of multinational companies ripping off local land owners and leaving destruction in their wake, but I think that the companies will find that they are negotiating with some well informed and wise people.

The primary challenge to development is often local, as disputes over land ownership, compensation and the like bring the whole process to a halt. Who do royalties go to? How should they be divided up? Who is responsible for managing the funds given to the community? Are they to be trusted? These are the bigger challenges.

A mill with logs waiting to be turned into planks.

The rumours around development plans are many, varied and grand. My personal favourite was a road that was to be built to Western Province, through Torres Straight, to Cairns and ‘from there to Australia’. Never mind the fact that Australia started at Torres Straight, which is made of water and islands and is not very good for roads. Also, I think the Australian Government may have some objections to such a plan.

 Development is always happening ‘soon’. I am happy for it to take it’s time and to be done well, rather than to have a short term gain and a long term loss. As I am hoping to remain working in this area for many years, I’m sure I will see the fruit of some of the rumours. It will be interesting to see which ones become realities.