Next Step Towards Self-Government

Big Increase In P-NG Council Planned As Next Step Towards Self-Government

The Australian Government is to increase the size of the Papua-New Guinea Legislative Council give the native people an overwhelming majority. For the first time members will be elected from common roll, without either educational or property qualifications. The new composition will take ect from the beginning of the life of the next Council in 1964.

These proposals were approved by the Government following i interim report of the Papua-New Guinea Select Committee on litical Development, which was presented to a special meeting of ; P-NG Legislative Council in Port Moresby in October. It was proved by the Council unanimously.

HE report contained few real sur prises—the pace in P-NG has ved so swiftly recently that every : has come to accept self-govern nt as inevitable—and there were r sour notes in the debate that owed the report’s presentation, fhe proposal for an increased tnbership of the Council was the in recommendation. Present mem ship is 37, comprising the Presi it (the Administrator), 14 official tubers, 10 nominated members and elected members (including six :ted native members), fhe new proposal is for a member d of 65—10 to be official members I 55 to be elected. Of the elected, would be non-indigenous members “reserved” electorates, but only as interim measure. There would be nominated members.

Lengthy Evidence

fhe P-NG Legislative Council □ding Committee on Political De spment was set up in March this r, some months before the report the UN Visiting Mission to New inea set everyone by the ears by posing that the Territory of P-NG e a 100 member parliament by •4. It was this that stimulated the tiding Committee to speedy action, ts six-member team led by the istant Administrator, Dr. John nther, toured the Territory in tember-October and took evidence tn 463 people of whom all but 31 e natives. fhe Committee’s terms of reference e to ascertain: a) the need for a change in the composition of the present Legislative Council; b) if there were a need, what the change should be; [c) whether there should be special

provision for representation of racial or other groups; and (d) when such changes, if any, should take place.

The Standing Committee’s interim report was presented by Mr. Lloyd Hurrell, to the Legislative Council on October 15. TTe report made these points: The great majority of people inter viewed desired to see an increase in the number of members on the ground that the present electorates were too large to allow contact be tween members and their electors.

But few favoured a Council of 100, as recommended by the UN Mission report, the main reasons being that they thought such a Council would be irresponsible, too unwieldy, too full to talk instead of work and that, at present, there were probably not 100 natives capable of successfully carrying out the duties of Legislative Councillors.

The opinion of the majority was that a Council of 100 was associated in the people’s minds with self government, which they feared and said they did not want at this stage.

A three-to-one majority of those interviewed favoured individual vot ing in preference to the electoral college system used in the 1959 elec tion of native members; they also favoured preference voting.

The majority of people preferred election from a common roll and not separate racial rolls. They agreed with the Committee that with elec torates of about 20,000 voters there would be little, if any, chance of a non-native being elected. Realisation of this, said the report, had produced a “vehement reaction” amongst the natives interviewed.

Some of the reasons given by the indigenes for their desire to have

elected Australians on the Council (as well as official members) were the Australian’s greater experience and education, enabling them to ad vise and guide native members, es pecially in economic development. It was said also that they paid the greater proportion of the tax and therefore should have a voice; and that election of Australians to the Council would indicate to the world Australia’s continuing interest in the

Tolai Artist's

Success

Samuel Terarup Cham, a Tolai, of Matalau village, near Rabaul, is the first indigenous artist in P-NG whose work has been chosen for a Territory postage stamp. One of his oil paintings will be used as the design of a 10/- stamp to be issued in February.

The P-NG Director of Posts and Telegraphs, Mr. W. F. Carter, says that Mr. Cham, a self-taught artist, has sold 160 of his paintings, mainly to people in Australia.

"Critics who have seen many of Mr. Cham's works are certain that with perseverance he will make a marked contribution to art in Aus tralia and NG," Mr. Carter adds.

Territory and discourage would-be in truders. They felt, too, that if there were no elected Australians on the Council the Australian Government would be inclined to curtail its generous grants to P-NG.

When the Committee pointed out that if the people wanted non indigenes they could vote for them, the people replied that at the present stage of development, local and clan ties would result in the election of a local candidate.

The great majority of the people interviewed believed that, in the new Council, there would be no further need for nominated members—that people in areas not fully under con trol could be represented by elected members from adjacent areas.

In fixing the number of elected non-indigenous members, the general opinion was that there should be one non-native member to every two natives.

Although the task of the Select Committee was to find out the desires of the people, the recommendations in their Report did not in some sig nificant details follow majority opinion—as some members of the Legislative Council pointed out.

The majority interviewed were for compulsory voting—on the ground that people failing to vote could later claim that the Council had no power over them because they had taken no part in its election. The Committee decided, however, that compulsory voting would be impossible to enforce at present but that the position might be reviewed after 1966.

Again, the Committee decided to recommend not one non-native mem

ber to two native members, as the majority wanted, but only 10 non natives to 44 natives. They felt that this number would be sufficient to carry out the “representative, stabilis ing, educative, guiding and informing

task” which the people had asked It was the Committee, and parently not the native electorate, “examined the present number official members” and suggested they could be reduced to 10.

Committee too, turned down the posal for an Upper House, put ward by a few, on the grounds a bi-cameral system was unwarran The Committee’s report le; numerous questions still to be se; and many loose ends still to be up.

The actual boundaries of electorates have yet to be wo:i out and not the least of the probE here will be the delineation of thu reserved electorates from which 10 non-native members will be ele from a common-roll of all adults The choosing of the President! present the Administrator of Territory—is another matter on w* the Committee expressed no opin although some members, it was s felt that he should be elected byy Council from its members.

A change in the present title Legislative Council is also thougH be desirable although the Commr was unable to come up with anr propriate name or phrase.

Biggest task will be preparatioc electoral rolls. At present the printed rolls are those covering j non-indigenous population EE peans, Chinese and people of mij race. It is expected that it will at least 12 months, without allo T ( for printing and distribution, to pare a common roll.

See “Political Report is Trimmed t»J Winds”, p. 21.