15/10/2025
: Time to Decentralize Power for Real Development
By JOEL KUTA ANDREW | Sunday Bulletin News
Papua New Guinea is a nation of remarkable diversity, with more than 800 languages and over a thousand tribes yet we are governed under a central system that often struggles to serve everyone equally. After nearly fifty years of independence, perhaps it is time to rethink how our country is managed and how power is shared.
Many citizens believe that political and economic control should now be decentralized and returned to the provinces and districts, so each region can manage its own development priorities more effectively.
Papua New Guinea operates under a unitary system, meaning most decisions and funding come from the National Government in Port Moresby. While provinces and districts have their own administrations, they depend heavily on national departments and funding releases approved by the National Executive Council (NEC) and Department of Finance.
This often leads to delays, uneven service delivery, and misuse of public funds. In many cases, projects fail to meet local needs because decisions are made far from the people who actually live with the consequences.
A federal system of government would share political and economic powers between the national and provincial governments.
Under such a structure:
-The National Government would handle key areas like defence, foreign affairs, and monetary policy.
-Provinces would take responsibility for education, health, infrastructure, and local economic growth.
-The Prime Minister would still oversee national unity and intervene in emergencies or crises.
This arrangement would reduce excessive control from Waigani, while allowing provinces to plan, budget, and deliver services directly through their own autonomous arms.
Departments like Education, Health and Works could have provincial offices that are accountable to provincial or state governments but still guided by national standards. The National/Federal Government could provide counter-funding to support provincial development projects, ensuring national oversight remains in place.
One of PNG’s growing issues is rural-urban drift. When provinces are neglected, people move to Port Moresby, Lae and other cities and towns in search of opportunities.
By empowering provinces economically, people can thrive where they are. Some even suggest that if provinces had stronger control over their internal affairs, entry management systems could be considered to minimize unnecessary migration.
While such ideas must respect citizens’ constitutional rights to free movement, the principle behind it in encouraging local self-reliance is worth serious thought.
Our democracy has stood for decades, but serious challenges persist, such as:
1.Corruption and misuse of public money;
2.Slow implementation of government programs;
3.Population growth outpacing basic services; and
4.Management and accountability, when every decision and funding approval depends on the national government, efficiency is lost, and local priorities are neglected.
Countries like Australia, India and Canada successfully operate under federal systems, where states and provinces manage their own affairs under a shared constitution. Each state has its own premier, parliament, and revenue base, while the federal government focuses on national issues.
Papua New Guinea can develop a similar model that fits our culture, geography, and diversity where power is shared but unity is maintained.
To conclude, be reminded that Papua New Guinea’s greatest challenge is not lack of resources or ideas, but it is the over-centralization of power. True development will come only when provinces and districts are given the authority and responsibility to drive their own progress.
It is time to move beyond central control and embrace a system that allows every province to stand on its own feet, which is a federal Papua New Guinea that is united in spirit and strong in local governance.
