March 3rd, 2020 – Lakatoro

The last couple of days have been run-of-the-mill work days, insofar as anything can be run-of-the-mill in Malampa. This week we’ve planned meetings with the various local government departments to try to understand what they all do. Next week will be meetings with the private sector players. Yesterday, we were supposed to have an internal meeting with the province Secretary General, but he was on the wrong island, so instead we went and asked the Finance and Inland Revenue departments for a meeting. They would only be available in the afternoon, apparently (government departments here like to have to make room in their busy schedules, which clearly are not very busy at all). Then this morning, we met with the department of Agriculture and the department of Livestock. Then this afternoon we meet with the department of Forestry and the department of Trade and Industry. We weren’t able to meet with the department of fisheries, as he was out fishing. Later in the week, we are planning to meet with the department of public works, the department of cooperatives and the department for tourism amongst others. Remember that Lakatoro only has a population of 2,000 or so, so it feels a bit like I’m stuck in a Gilliam-esque satire. The local government is by far the biggest employer on the island. It is as efficient as you’d expect. I’m happy to say that like anywhere, some of the government employees are hard workers who are diligently fulfilling a governance need. I would say the vast majority however are there to collect their quite reasonable government salary, and use their departmental budget to purchase themselves a pickup truck which they enjoy driving back and forth the only 10km of road on the island.

After the day’s meetings, I came home and started to cook my supper, although had to finish it in the dark as there was a power cut. There isn’t a local government department for Energy, you see.

Such is a day in the life of Malampa Province.