Fishy business. The Social Impact of SST.pdf - Act Now!

of a company like SST cannot be placed at the unqualified disposal of stakeholder, whether thatbe landowner or employee. There is never a high enough wage or sufficient compensation tosatisfy a complainant—as a complainant. This is true in development projects everywhere, andespecially the case in PNG when host communities are made to feel ignored or antagonized. Theeasiest and most effective way to alleviate this tension is simply to meet face to face and establisha working rapport.If SST is not as ‘fishy’ as it seems, there should be no problem in publicizing its companyreports and shareholders. If, for example, the provincial government shares have not yet beenpurchased, and instead rest in the hands of prominent individuals, this should be made known tothe Ombudman and corrected. The East Sepik, Wewak town and SST have the opportunity hereto become examples of transparency and in so doing discourage ‘fishy business’ of all kindsfrom proliferating like an undetected cancer in the local economy. It is certainly no advantage toSST to have more fishing production plants at the wharf or elsewhere in town. Therefore takingthe CSR initiative would impose important obstacles to their irresponsible establishment andoperations. Creating a context wherein shareholders do not benefit at the expense of theemployees and community is the real work of nonwestern industrialization. In a global age ofglobal trade and global production values, there must be global standards. There cannot beglobal backwaters and hidden inequities or malpractice. This is the only way to ensure localvalues, local cultural integrity and socioeconomic development throughout the developingworld.My own belief [is] that black masters should not merely replace white masters. –MichaelSomare (Op cit:108)173