Political Party?

Who'd Want To

Run A Ng

From a Port Moresby correspondent Some of the difficulties of running a political party are now becoming obvious to those in the territory whi have that unenviable task self inflicted or not. One of their diffi cullies is the very positive Admini stration move against public servant, taking executive positions in politico groups.

While the public servants have been told they may become members they have also been warned against actively campaigning on political matters. The Administration is plac ing varied pressures on the public servants—pressures which, if chal lenged, would be denied officially.

All very well, but in the territory’s present stage of development the New Guinean public servants are among the best trained in the com munity and the people most likely to give leadership or strength to the executive of parties.

The new parties are thus placed in the position of somehow getting the co-operation, and even the active support, of the public servants with out placing them in a difficult position with their jobs. This invites under-handedness.

One of the five new political parties in the territory is the Terri tory Country Party. The party has its headquarters at Madang, and a few weeks ago PIM asked the party organisers for details of the executive, plus a statement of aims and inten tions.

The men behind it!

PIM was given the information promptly. The party listed the execu tive at that time as chairman, Alphonse Kutas, of Kerowagi; senior vice-chairman (a European to be ratified); second vice-chairman Arnold Molian, of Manus; secretary, Jack McCarthy, of Madang; and treasurer, Raphael Kaikun, of Manus.

However, since that information was received there appear to be changes, presumably due to this problem with the Public Service.

The committtee now has to work on people employed privately, and yet obtain the co-operation of the public servants. Who then are the executive now? PIM doesn’t know.

Its founder. Jack McCarthy, is not

l public servant, but he is employed is a journalist by the South Pacific *ost group, which apparently doesn’t vant him actively involved in >olitical movements either, in case t is assumed that what he writes s the viewpoint of the paper.

There is also some doubt, since ’lM’s inquiries were made, whether he party will become actively mgaged in the forthcoming electoral :ampaign beyond giving support to mybody expressing the party’s aims, fhe problem is organisation.

All the new parties are beginning o realise that it takes some years o achieve proper organisation, and hat possibly no political group will iffect the next House of Assembly dections to any great extent. But he 1972 elections may be decisive.

Meanwhile, it is worth stating the lims of the Territory Country Party n view of the fact that so little is mown about it. Its organisers say t is receiving support from the main Highlands areas, and from Madang, Vlorobe and Manus districts. Here is ts position, reported verbatim from he account of one of the executive:

TCP executive speaks:

The initial idea of the party emerged from a series of small meetings of, mainly. Highlands people in Madang. A draft platform was drawn up and from this developed further gatherings for dis cussion and finally a public meeting on August 27, at which it was decided to form the party.

The drive for this has come mainly from the Highlanders, not because of political ambitions but because they have realised, through their own efforts, that economic and political progress can only be ob tained through development of their resources by themselves with aid and direction.

This appears to be a reaction against some of the statements being publicised regarding a demand for early self-government and it is re ceiving some solid support with many European residents becoming interested. Three of them were elected to committee positions with high voting percentages.

Nothing spectacular

There is nothing intended to be spectacular about this party. It is based upon agrarian, industrial and social improvements and upon the need for the people to work together for themselves in developing their land.

We are not going to be entangled on the contentious issues of the Public Service, although we do