Archive · 13 Nov 2025
India Can Learn Humility and Responsibility from Papua New Guinea
Imagine two countries, India and Papua New Guinea (PNG), facing similar problems like not enough jobs and roads that aren't finished.
PNG just celebrated 50 years of being its own country.
When a leader in PNG talked about what they've done, they said they made mistakes but will learn from them, and they didn't blame anyone else.
In India, the government often says only good things about the last few years and blames older governments for problems.
The writer thinks India could be more humble, like PNG, and admit when things go wrong, because that helps leaders fix problems better.
It's like admitting you made a mistake in a game so you can get better next time, instead of always saying you're the best or blaming your teammates.
The author observed Papua New Guinea (PNG) celebrating its 50th Independence Day, noting India's participation.
PNG faces challenges similar to India, including unemployment, corruption, and underdeveloped infrastructure, despite having natural resources.
A key difference noted was PNG's government taking responsibility and showing humility, contrasted with India's tendency to blame past administrations.
The author suggests India could learn from PNG's approach of acknowledging mistakes and learning from them, rather than attributing all issues to previous governments.
India imports significant ore concentrate and bulk commodities from PNG, with the author suggesting humility could be an additional 'import'.
- Who
- An observer traveling in Papua New Guinea (PNG) for its 50th Independence Day and the 2nd Special Economic Zone summit.
- What
- Comparing the governance approaches of India and PNG, particularly regarding responsibility, humility, and acknowledgment of mistakes.
- When
- Around September, during PNG's 50th Independence Day celebrations.
- Where
- Papua New Guinea, with a comparison to India.
- Why
- To highlight the potential for India to learn from PNG's demonstrated humility and accountability in governance.
Indian Government Approach
Papua New Guinea Government Approach
Taking Responsibility
Indian Government Approach
The Government of India (GoI) frequently blames past governments (like Nehru and UPA) for current issues and highlights progress made only in the last 10 years, framing achievements as master strokes.
Papua New Guinea Government Approach
Papua New Guinea's Minister for International Trade and Investment acknowledged that his nation hasn't done everything right in 50 years, stated there's more to be done, and vowed to learn from mistakes, all while taking full responsibility without blaming political opposition.
Acknowledging Mistakes
Indian Government Approach
The GoI tends to avoid discussing mistakes, except for instances like demonetization, and attributes any failures to previous administrations.
Papua New Guinea Government Approach
The PNG Minister openly admitted that mistakes have been made and expressed a commitment to learning from them to improve future actions.
- Papua New Guinea Independence Anniversary
- 50th (September)
- India's Contribution to PNG Event
- INS Kadmatt
- Indian Imports from PNG
- USD $140 million worth of ore concentrate and other bulk commodities
- Shared Challenges (PNG & India)
- Lack of employment opportunities, corruption, underdeveloped infrastructure
- Shared Opportunities (PNG & India)
- Young population, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) interest, mineral wealth