They call us
camels. They call us white horses. They call us semi-trailers. They call us
many names. Names of things we don’t know much about. We’re they who walk with
the strength of our grandfathers; those bygone men who tamed angry rivers;
appeased bellowing clouds and walked with mists. Our coffee beans shall not go
to waste! Our coffee beans shall not go to waste! O no – no – no; shall not go
to waste!
This morning a weary
traveler, somewhere under a rock shelter, or under a tree’s roots, or from a
hastily constructed temporary shelter during yesterday’s twilight, is awaken by
a pre-dawn song; an eerie sound made by unseen creepy crawly creatures close
by. A loud yawn and a stretch, then a glance at neatly stacked pile of white
bags dissipates lingering weariness from a restless night. The journey that
started 38 years ago must continue but the destination seemed further still.
On many a rugged hill,
where clouds more often than not come to watch and cry over those that rise in any
given gloomy morning with sweaty brows, blistered shoulders and burdened
hearts; a father, a mother, or a child moves on under heavy load.
On a rocky ridge
where violent winds come to play, a mother firmly cuddles in her weary arms a
package from which a pair of sickly eyes peered into hers; though devoid of
animation, they manifests life and all its flaws quiet dramatically. It is only
a matter of steps before life itself is shut out.
At the foot of
this ridge, way down below, over a fast flowing river, a rope bridge swings
dangerously to the left then right under a massive load. A stretcher, of wood
and reinforced used-rice bags, is being ferried across on shoulders; one step
at a time. One wrong step and certain death is inevitable. A skinny arm, like a
dried tree branch, reaches out and attempts to grasp a side pole as if to
steady the unsteady stretcher.
On a lookout, a
resting place where multitudes have paused to gaze and marvel at the beauty of
the seemingly unending mountain ranges, waterfalls and the evergreen faces of
those ranges; a teenager pulls out a piece of newspaper from a side bag. Before
he rolls his dried tobacco leaves, he reads: …the gov…ern...ment… and stops.
However the next word is pronounced and whatever the bloody hell it means isn’t
going to stress his exhausted mind; not now. Soon he’ll be puffing his
exhaustion into tiny circular and skinny columns of drifting mists of vapour.
These typify the
struggles of many of our rural Eastern Highlanders. Places like Unavi, Gimi,
Marrawaka, Unggai and Wesan, for instance are daily impoverished by the tyranny
of our rugged terrain.
Other places in
PNG: Teleformin, Menyyama, and Salt-Nomane, to name a few, encounter similarly
daunting circumstances.
The prevailing
challenge is how to connect these largely organically rich and pristine areas
to vital government infrastructure or how to deliver vital government services
to them on a daily basis.
Roads seemed to
be the answer at the outset but, over time PNG has learned that they become
increasingly problematic. Soil type, high tropical rainfall, sheer vastness of
these ranges and enormous costs of maintenance, makes building roads to remote
places an overwhelming challenge.
This brings to
mind railways and trains. Though un-tested technology in the PNG modern
situation, it’s worth a try. No need for a province wide railway network. Imagine
connecting only rural areas of Eastern Highlands named, to Goroka and Kainantu.
Organically grown Coffee and vegetables which grow in abundance would be easily
transported to markets. And medicine and school materials would be ferried
back. It’s about tapping into the potential of under-utilised fertile rural
areas; the opening up of a world of potential and ensuring rural people partake
meaningfully in the economy of PNG.
And if all rural
areas of PNG are likewise connected to markets, what may become of PNG will
truly be unprecedented.
The next face of
development and growth envisioned in the PNG Vision 2050 could ride on the back
of trains and railways connecting the potentially rich and under-utilised rural
Eastern Highlands and other rural areas of PNG.
