Netherlands New Guinea

It's A Step Ahead Of P-Ng

Netherlands New Guinea Gets Local Government

Netherlands New Guinea in August took a political step ahead of its big neighbour territory, Papua-New Guinea, by making the first move to set up autonomous local government.

DURING the first three weeks of August nominations were be ing received for candidates to be elected to NNG’s first Regional Council, in the Schouten Islands sub-district, which is the island area northwest of Hollandia, with Biak as its centre.

It includes Schouten and Noem foor Islands, but Biak will not be included in the new Council area, which will be called the Regional Council of Biak-Noemfoor.

The Council will consist of 13 members, three to be appointed by the Governor of NNG and 10 to be elected by secret ballot from six electoral districts, using an indirect electoral system of “voting repre sentatives”. Two members will be elected in each of four districts, and one member from each of two other districts. Each electoral dis trict will be subdivided into a number of electoral circles, in which the “voting representatives” will be elected by the voters (popular adult votes). The representatives will be responsible for handing in a list of candidates for their electoral dis tricts. It was the selection of these representatives which was being undertaken in August.

The representatives from each dis trict will meet probably about the second half of October to vote by secret ballot, for the candidate of their choice.

A report from Hollandia says that the new Council should meet in November to decide on a working programme for the new year, and how money will be allocated.

The Council will, in the words of a official statement made in Hollandia in July, “be qualified to adjust all matters concerning regional affairs.

It has also been charged with the preparatory work pertaining to the formation of native community councils in the sub-districts.

“Until these latter are function ing properly, village matters are considered as belonging to the affairs concerning the Regional Council’.

So that it can have its decision implemented, the Council will in stitute local “administration com missions” in parts of its region.

These will be the informal fore runners of village councils to be In stituted later. The head of the sub district will be Council President,

Spade Work

A lot of the spade work which v/ill result in the establishment of this first Council has been done by the Advisory Council for the Schouten Islands, which was in augurated in 1953 for this purpose.

Other advisory councils are operating in other areas where similar regional councils are to be brought into existence, including Hollandia, Monokwari, Sarong- Doom and Japen.

The Advisory Council for the Schouten Islands will be dissolved as soon as the Regional Council has been brought into being.