Problems, Problems As New Guineans

Put The Pressure On

By Suart Inder, who was in Port Moresby in March

You can get nothing but fragments of the Papua-New Guinea House of Assembly by sittim through its meetings. The House is not to be listened to, but to be read, for only in the privacy oc your own 75c copy of the Debates do the 64 members develop significant patterns of thought! surprisingly, only on paper does the House become real, the objectives clear.

PERHAPS it is the interpretation system which robs much of the debates of their immediate signifi cance to the listener; perhaps the fre quent motions, suspension of standing orders, question times, tea breaks, and committee stages dull the sense of urgency which does in fact exist in the chamber as two million New Guineans grope towards a future of some sort.

One of last meetings

The March meeting of the As sembly—its twelfth, and among the last before the general elections of next year—was a typical example.

The many interruptions over the 10day sitting helped mask for those who, like me, were there, the fact that pleas were being made, solu tions being offered, indignation being expressed, challenges being laid down and a political awareness being dis played with a shrewd if inexperienced indigenous skill.

Only with reflection, and with the help of the record, does one realise what an obsorbing commentary it was on land settlement; does one get unexpected insight into the inade quacy of the education system; and see disturbingly reliable evidence of a growing disrespect for law and order throughout the territory.

AAore radical 1968

Through it all runs a constant threat, possibly already an inescap able conclusion, that the electorates will send more radical members to next year’s House because of their failure to get from Port Moresby the bridges, roads, schools, teachers, and the economic development they so urgently require.

Shouted men like Pita Lus, “The Government must distribute the money equitably. They have for gotten about us Sepik people. They have said the Sepik people are rubbish!”

Complained Tei Abal, “It is quite wrong! The greatest need is in the bush!”

And Singin Pasom, “I cannot say something new—l am going to repeat what I have said for years. I am sick of asking the government! I am an old man now. Others are singing out and me too, but we are wasting our breaths!”

And Pita Tamindei: “I am not giving you an idea which I picked up from an officer—l am telling you the thoughts of all my people! How many years have we waited for the sort of development we have asked for?”

Yauwi Wauwe said the people were puzzled by the Government’s lack of response to their requests. “Now I do not know, shall we join with Aus tralia or shall we find a solution of our own to our economic troubles?”

Yauwi asked. “My friends will sup port me in this type of thing.”

Budget victory

Somewhere in all the 10-day talk, and all the interruptions, there was a comment by Momei Pangial which summed it all up: “The reasons why my friends have asked for this great variety of development is simply that they are told to by their electors.”

There may yet be some late relief on the way, for the most important Administration statement of the meet ing accepted the fact that the House had been justified in staging last September’s Budget revolt.

Assistant Administrator, Mr. L, W.

Johnson, said Administration “appre ciated that there is need for more consultation than has previously been the case” and said this year it would take its Budget planning to the Ad ministrator’s Council, which could make a detailed study of the esti mates, both before and after they had been seen by Canberra.

This announcement was generally recognised by members as the begin

ning of the new era at last, althoc John Pasquarelli was one who feas that their trust would be betrayj The announcement would hd been accepted with more enthusui if the Administration had not brouj down a new “little budget”, wh will spend an additional whacM amount.

Expensive Public Service

The elected members attacked from all sides. The money was b©( spent not on economic developrrr but on a Public Service that was.?

John Stuntz put it, “over-complicar over-centralised and too cumberso, for this country to afford”. If Administration had got to the p«c where its Public Service was out} control, he said, then it should acb it and seek authority to take dras steps.

Government member J. K. I Carthy threw in a sobering c<k ment: “Despite all the criticism, should remember the great amoumr progress we have made since war.”

Siwi Kurondo brought up school problem on the adjournnw and for days afterwards it was teas and worried over by member a:£ member.

Education problem

For the New Guineans it wai£ sensitive question—this one of v young children should be thro out of school at standard six, and J given another chance. “People w say that our children have an eq> chance with other children are telll lies,” said Kurondo.

In support, Mr, Percy Chatten; thought the Education Departmrr had done a good job in desigm; a primary school curriculum to p pare pupils for secondary schoc But it wasn’t so good for childb

► were going to finish at standard Ir. L. W. Johnson, formerly the *ctor of Education, said total itory school enrolment was about ,000 children, rather less than of the children in that age group he territory. To provide enough iols the Administration would 1 almost 10,000 more teachers, to mention the classrooms, and was beyond its resources, he time had passed, he said, when y NG child who successfully pleted a primary education could 0 another school. owever the Education Depart it was now making a complete ew of its policies, and some of solutions offered in the House Id certainly be considered.

Land settlement

he debate on the native land ement schemes scattered about territory brought the information these, too, were being reviewed the Administration. lr. John Guise, had brought the ter up, successfully asking for tion of a Land Settlement Board, ;he present “vague system” was ing a lot of distress among native settlers throughout New Guinea, was unrealistic to ask several Jred people with wives and chil -1 to go out into any area without ls, schools and medical aid posts, [embers made it clear in debate the principle under discussion that big estates were more ient than little ones and that New lea had to bring its thinking up late with an organised “back to land” drive in a big way. [ much other business the House oved an oil palm industry for r Britain, with a 50 per cent, linistration interest; gave the Ad istration a mandate to continue mraging a mining company in gainville despite the recent objec -5 of some of the local people; jp a Housing Commission to help r Guineans, particularly in the is, to get decent housing; and tied without comment to a state t by the Director of Lands, Mr. ve, that illegal native squatting and held by registered title would be condoned, but that those who ed land in developed areas may breed by legislation to put it to his last statement was not the ; important commentary on the ms problems of a developing f Guinea. i See NG hots up its politics, p. 39.