Sacrificial Lamb

Beneath the verdant canopy of Papua New Guinea’s pristine rainforests and the shimmering depths of its azure seas, lies a paradox: a land overflowing with natural riches, yet its people remain desperately shortchanged from these riches. The transgressor, a predatory dance by foreign multinational corporations, the government, the so-called elites with the land owners – the rightful custodians of the land and its resource. Gold glitters, but remain a treasure under Papua New Guinea’s mountain ranges, copper veins, snake through its soil, while vast gas fields brave its enclosure, waiting to breathe. These resources lure international mites, who routinely promise untold riches.  Despite glimmering treasures of promises, the indigenous communities who have stewarded these lands for generations, are often exposed to intimacy with spiritual displacement, environmental degradation, despair and a widening chasm of wealth inequality.

Landowners meekly gather meager rewards for their treasure fields, largely ripped permanently from their ancestral inheritance. Promises of development and jobs materialize into tokenistic poor quality infrastructure projects and engagements in menial labor, while revenue stream into distant boardrooms and affluent cafes. Meanwhile, pollution scars the environment, poisoning waterways, depleting live stocks, threatening the lifeblood of existence.

The Fight For the Sepik

The Sepik River, its flora, fauna and its people, the culture and its diverse livelihoods, have thrived for generations. Today, the Sepik River and its people face the threat of the same narratives of; exploitation, environmental destruction, loss of livelihood and the disproportionate wealth distribution in the name of development. The proposed Frieda River Gold and Copper mine at the headwaters of the Sepik has been the cause of controversy since when exploration began in the early 1950s. The Government and the Mining company, PanAust have wanted this mine to start immediately, even trying to circumvent legal and ethical processes. However, the people of the Sepik River, the people of PNG, a Non-Government Organization (NGO) called Project Sepik and its collaborative partners all continue to demand that PanAust and the Government of PNG comply with all rules.

The proposed “Development Package” entails: A hydro-electricity/ Tailings Storage Dam, Infrastructure- Roads & Bridges and The Gold & Copper Mine site. This development package is in accord with the Government’s “Connect PNG” goals and Prime Minister Marape’s emphasis on “infrastructure projects” being part of the “deliberate effort to stimulate economic growth in the country”. With high demand and soaring prices for copper in the global markets and the deepening abyss of financial debt that PNG is struggling to climb out from, the operation of Frieda Mine seems like a beneficial option for PNG. However, the question that needs pertinent answer is: how much will the Sepik River and its people sacrifice for that beneficial option for PNG?

In the period of less than 50 years since gaining Independence, indigenous landowners in PNG have always suffered severely from decisions made in the name of “development”. PNG has seen the destruction of the Jaba River in Bougainville and experienced losses from the 10-year civil war that followed. PNG has seen the tailing spills in Ok Tedi, Pogera and Tolukuma. PNG has experienced issues of landowners being displaced from spiritual lands: often resettled in unfamiliar spaces, being harassed and even shot by security personal and discipline forces. All these were carried out in the name of development in the form of mining, logging, petroleum, gas and large mono-agricultural projects such as Special Agricultural Business Lease (SABL). PNG’s abbreviated history has shown how the government has had very little respect for the rights of its people and custodians of the Land and resource. It has also illustrated vividly how foreign corporations have exploited PNG and handsomely profited from resources gathered, leaving crumbs for the State,( which disappears at Waigani) , and scraps which goes into the hands of certain “elites”, leaving next to nothing to improve the lives of the people directly affected.

The recent released statement of findings by the Australian National Contact Point (NCP), the good office of the Organization for Economic Corporation & Development (OECD) found that proper Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) processes were still in progress.  However, the people of Sepik and Project Sepik have repeatedly claimed that the FPIC has not been followed correctly and that the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) lacked critical pieces of information such as the Dam Break Analysis for an honest decision to be made.  

According to the EIS, the tailings/hydro-dam will be the size of Chambri Lakes, which means the displacement of 8 villages. The loss includes their hunting grounds, gardening areas and sacred and spiritual lands, their only home. The pivotal question, the elephant in the room: How much will the Sepik River and its people sacrifice for the illusionary-beneficial option for PNG? 

The Sepik River and its people will not benefit from the mining royalties, the electricity nor the infrastructure. The Sepik River and its people cannot and must not be the sacrificial lamb for PNG.

The fight for the Sepik is not just about a single river, it is about reclaiming the future of Papua New Guinea. It is about protecting the livelihoods of the communities, protecting the river and all its life forms.  The fight is about investing in the development and ensuring that the wealth of the land is sustainably managed so that it benefits its people today and for those who are yet to arrive from the future. It must not be shortchanged for the benefit of foreign corporations. It is about breaking the shackles of inferiority complexes, suppression, exploitation and rewriting the narrative of ‘development’, about shared environmental guardianship and sustainable development for shared prosperity.

Amplifying the voices of the Sepik River and its people, demanding transparency and accountability, and prioritizing sustainable development are not just slogans, they are a call to action. It’s a call to stand with the guardians of the Sepik, a call to rewrite the story of Sepiks, the story of Papua New Guinea, and a call to ensure that the land’s riches truly blesses its people.  

By Shayanne Waide