New House Will Depend
pp. 37-38 · Read in the full issue
On Co-Operation
How will the new House of \ssembly, with its 54 elected nembers out of a total member ;hip of 64, manage to govern
effectively?
IfR. lAN DOWNS, a retiring member of the Legislative Council and a candidate considered ilmost certain of election in the lighlands special electorate for the lew House, believes that one of the ecrets will be Government reliance in support from the Under-Secretaries vho are to be appointed from among he ordinary members of the House, rhe Government will use them as it ised the old nominated members.
But the Government will also have o win the co-operation of some other action in the House to get legislation hrough, Mr. Downs says, and thus vill need to enter into “sincere con ultation” with elected members.
It could not, as in the past, intro luce bills without consulting anyone Mr. Downs was speaking to a PIM lorrespondent at Goroka during the lections.
He said Australia had had no ilternative but to constitute a House m the lines of the Assembly.
Voting Blocs
Asked whether he thought groups vithin the new House would form hemselves into voting blocs he said, ‘Yes. But everything must be done
to avoid groups based on racial lines; c^ nnot afford racial divisions.
Thls 18 a great opportunity for a multi-racial government to emerge— we must not lose it.
“The people of the House of Assembly will have to determine the
future of the country and they must do this together as 54 elected members, not as a series of racial or other groups.
“The members must make up their minds on the future of Papua-New Guinea in the first term of the House.
Other people, in Indonesia for instance, are probably already making up their own minds about our future.
“I believe it is just a matter of time before Malaysia and Indonesia settle their differences and with the the Philippines form Maphilindo.
Maphilindo would seek to extend, and Australian New Guinea would be one of their choices.
‘Therefore, the future of this country must soon be decided. The natives must finally be made to re alise they must make up their minds just what kind of independence they want and what relationship with Australia they would desire.”
Mr. Downs suggested a referendum would be worthwhile. Natives were already asking about their future.
His own view was that P-NG could have self-government but remain as sociated with Australia. The P-NG economy could be integrated into Australia’s, and the Teritory’s future “might well depend on how well this could be done,” he added.