Bold idea for PNG trade route

PAPUA NEW GUINEA – A Papua New Guinean economist has put forward a proposal to open up the whole island of New Guinea for trade purposes.

Charles Yala is the director of the National Research Institute, a PNG government funded think tank, based in Boroko.

His opinion piece argues that both Indonesia and Papua New Guinea would benefit from opening up their land borders for trade purposes. The proposal suggests an east-west highway or rail link from Timika in Indonesia’s Papua Region to Lae on PNG’s northern coast.

It also suggests a north-south link along the border from Jayapura and Vanimo to Merauke in the south.

Dr Yala says geographically the island of New Guinea is ideally situated to provide a north-south trade link between Australia, New Zealand and the fast growing economies of South East Asia.

“Knowing very well that there are social, political, cultural, environmental, topographic engineering challenges and the funding to do that I just decided that look, let me put up this idea and see what the public thinks about it.

“And let’s see if there is a way to promote this idea and see if that is possible and we can raise a discussion,” said Dr Yala.

“The proposal has the potential to develop an integrated economic community within this part of the world and place PNG and Indonesia, especially West Papua, on a path to sustained, broad-based growth and development.

“This proposal complements two other major projects – the ‘Maritime Silk Road’ being advanced by China involving Southeast Asia and the Pacific islands, and the ‘Our North, Our Future’ policy proposed by the Australian government for the development of the northern half of the Australian continent,” Dr Yala said. - PNC