Some Unknown Quantities

At P-NG Council Opening

From Judy Tudor in Port Moresby April 10.

Bands played today, the ladies in the upper brackets of local society broke out new hats, and visiting Parliamentary dele gations presented appropriate gifts—to wit, one hour-glass and a guest-book. In short, the reconstituted Legislative Council of Papua-New Guinea opened with a bang that, as a number of speakers suggested, lit another tiny candle of democracy to add its glimmer to the darkness of this bad, old world.

rOMORROW, distinguished guests —or most of them —having gone their ways, the Council may jet down to work.

But only maybe. This meeting is i sort of grinding-in process, to illow members to size one another

up. There will be no contentious legislation introduced and very little of any sort.

With luck, the whole thing may be over by week’s end with the pro mise of another meeting in early June.

Not all new members will make prepared maiden speeches, as was the case at the last meeting in October. A fact that, considering that there are only a few familiar faces on the non-official side of the fence, is probably a mercy.

However, some will be making their official debut in the speech making department, and according to the local grapevine, John Douglas Guise, elected native member for Eastern Papua, is cooking up some thing tasty.

John Guise Is There

Mr. Guise, although he claims to be one-quarter descended from a French nobleman, is regarded as distinctly pro-native—if not actively anti-European—and it wouldn’t be surprising, even judging on today’s performance, if he did not steal some of the mana that has hitherto hung around Administration favoured Reuben Taureka.

Today that one-quarter French Count was uppermost. Suave, speak ing perfect English in a pleasant voice, doing all the very correct things with considerable savoir faire, John Guise got more than the apportioned amount of attention.

He is a man of much personal ambition, I should judge, and who could be a tower of strength to the orderly progress towards self government. Alternatively, with wrong handling, he no doubt could be a pain in the neck.

Before the war he was a police man and during it he served with distinction. I am told by someone who knows him well, that the fact that the Japs made their Milne Bay landing in an inextricable swamp instead of where they had planned, was largely due to Guise’s efforts in organising every native village and hamlet to preserve complete blackout on the vital night and pro vide no guiding light for the m

vaders.

John Guise has resigned from the Administration to devote his time to politics. There is no salary at tached to being a MLC—yet—but there is an annual allowance of £2OO for elected members plus £lO per day when sitting in Council.

First Lawyer?

One of Guise’s sons—or so the story goes—is being educated at his own expense in Australia with the object of being the Territory’s first native lawyer.

It would be an excellent thing if Guise —or any of the other native members—proved capable of dealing with contentious matters in an adult fashion, if for no other reason than to give European non-official members opportunity to reply in kind.

So far, native members of the P-NG Council have never been able to rise above parish-pump politics.

Some have been virtually inarticu late or simply poured out a flood of mealy-mouthed platitudes.

As a result, the tradition has grown up that no European mem ber may ever say anything likely to be construed as “nasty” in reply to a native member.

Others Unknown

Until such time as members can get down to a frank and open dis cussion of matters that really affect this Territory, and the native mem bers have to take as well as give, it’s unlikely that P-NG will develop those virile politicians which Terri tories Minister Hasluck says are the country’s top priority requirement.

[?]ATING THE HEAT: Noumea, New Caledonia, [?]s been experiencing some very hot weather [?]tely, but these two knew how to beat it. [?]e Vietnamese preferred champagne as he

[?]rewelled his friends being repatriated by

[?]ip to North Vietnam. The little lady in the bikini settled for a soft drink.

Photos: Fred Dunn.