Commentary

This timeline of events shows the actions and reactions that shook the Papua New Guinea political scene following the attempt to arrest Prime Minister Peter O'Neill. The timeline was inspired by a post to the Sharp Talk Facebook group by Bryan Kramer.

Just as a banyan’s strength comes from a multitude of roots and branches, counterbalanced and pulling in different directions, we should allow the pull of kastom even as we move ahead. Reconciling social change with kastom is a necessary condition for development, says Dan McGarry.

There is a big disconnect between attending climate meetings and action on the home front, and very possibly the disconnect is the result of officials being more focused on attending climate meetings than they are on doing work at the community level, writes Giff Johnson.

With financial constraints tightening around the PNG treasury, credibility has become the government's most important commodity. Vague reassurances are unlikely to assuage fears, so it is in government’s own interest to begin communicating the evidence, writes Mark Evans.

There is a need to move beyond band-aid solutions for governance that only lead to greater instability and inconsistency in the policy-making processes, to developing strong institutions with visionary leadership at the helm, writes Kiery Manassah.

Despite the goodwill and dedication of many of those involved, RAMSI ultimately did not help Solomon Islands to stand on its own two feet, writes Dan Gay. The problem was that far too much was spent on law and order and not enough on building infrastructure, writes Dan Gay.