Building A State: Governance, Civil Society & The Rule of Law

 

Background: Following 2007 parliamentary elections marked by corruption, violence, and voter registration fraud, PNG is ranked only “Partly Free” by Freedom House and listed 162 out of a total 180 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index. While civil liberties are generally upheld, high illiteracy rates and the relative ineffectiveness of the national government ensure that civic engagement remains low, and corruption and bribery are widespread. In many regions, tribal and local leadership continues to dominate. Internationally, the economy is heavily dependent on Australian Aid, and PNG falls substantially behind neighboring Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines in infrastructure, education, economic development and global outreach.

Key Issues:

Strengthening transparency and civil society
Effective government structure
Economic and political role of PNG in Southeast Asia and in the world
Addressing law and order problems with Village Courts

Panelists

 

Dr. Francis Fukuyama

Francis Fukuyama is the Bernard L. Schwartz Professor of International Political Economy at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) of Johns Hopkins University, and the director of SAIS' International Development Program. He is also chairman of the editorial board of a new magazine, The American Interest.

Dr. Fukuyama has written widely on issues relating to questions concerning political and economic development. His book, The End of History and the Last Man, was published by Free Press in 1992 and has appeared in over twenty foreign editions. It made the bestseller lists in the United States, France, Japan, and Chile, and has been awarded the Los Angeles Times' Book Critics Award in the Current Interest category, as well as the Premio Capri for the Italian edition. He is also the author of Trust: The Social Virtues and the Creation of Prosperity (1995), The Great Disruption: Human Nature and the Reconstitution of Social Order (1999), Our Posthuman Future: Consequences of the Biotechnology Revolution (2002), State-Building: Governance and World Order in the 21st Century, (2004), and America at the Crossroads: Democracy, Power, and the Neoconservative Legacy (2006). He is currently working on a book on political development. He has traveled widely in Papua New Guinea and written about governance reform in the country.

Ambassador Robert Aisi

Mr. Aisi is the current Permanent Representative (ambassador) of Papua New Guinea to the United Nations in New York. He presented his credentials to the Secretary General on June 25, 2002. Prior to being appointed to the United Nations, Aisi was Councillor of Papua New Guinea’s Legal Training Institute. Aisi obtained a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Papua New Guinea in 1979. The following year, he was admitted to the practice of law in both the National and Supreme Courts of Papua New Guinea. From 1986 to 1990, he was Principal Legal Officer to the regional authorities in Port Moresby. From 1990 to 1992, he was Principal Legal Officer and Deputy Commission Secretary to Papua New Guinea’s Electricity Commission. He has also served with the Executive Branch (Legal Affairs) of UNESCO. Aisi is also Honorary Consul of Papua New Guinea to South Africa, President of the Business Council of Papua New Guinea, and a member of the Australia-Papua New Guinea Business Council. In February 2004, he was elected Chairman of the United Nations' Special Committee on decolonization.

Addressing the United Nations Security Council on the topic of climate change in April 2007, Aisi stated: “The dangers that the small island states and their populations face are no less serious than those nations threatened by guns and bombs.”

James Laki

Mr. Laki a PNG National, is the Executive Director for Peace Foundation Melanesia Inc. and a retired communications engineer from the military. He was Acting Head and Senior Research Fellow at the Political & Legal Studies Division of the PNG National Research Institute (NRI) from 2000 to 2007. During his time at NRI, he was involved in National and Regional Security issues and the Urban Crime Surveys in 8 centers. He regularly contributed his ideas on socio-political and security issues on the National Daily Tabloid, Post Courier while at NRI. His current work with Peace Foundation Melanesia Inc. empowers PNG communities through restorative justice, conflict resolution and win-win mediation training, an informal justice concept.

Panel Location and Time

Saturday, Feb. 27 10-11:30 a.m., bldg 320-105 (Geology Corner Lecture Hall)