Pacific Islands Monthly

A Flag, No Name, And

All Those Problems

Of Unity

From STUART IND ER , in Port Moresby

Observers seem to agree that the March meeting of the Papua and New Guinea House of Assembly, with its squabbling on racist issues, its acceptance of a political blueprint for the territory, and introduction of land-legislation of far-reaching importance, was the most significant parliamentary session in the territory’s history.

I don’t go along with that myself.

I see the three-week meeting as just another step in the painful climb of New Guinea towards the discovery of its own identity. The search is inevitable and of course highly significant.

But as a spectacle it’s dull stuff.

The entire Second House, which opened in June, 1968. and which is now running quickly downhill to the elections early next year, has been dull in comparison with that First House of 1964. It’s lacked personal!ties, men with initiative, new ideas and ability to express them.

Some who held early promise, such as Tei Abal and Tony Voutas, have not lived up to hopes, while others such as Michael Somare and Percy Chatterton, have gained further influence and respect in the House.

John Guise has been a successful Speaker, while still remaining controversial.

The widespread use of the longwinded, inexact Pidgin English, poorly interpreted in the House (which, like everything else in P-NG, is short of experienced staff), has not helped raise standards. Many members are now realising the language drawback. As one said on the floor of the House, “I now wish to speak in English so the government can understand what I want”. The next House, I hope, will give us members with a greater knowledge of English.

There is, nevertheless, progress behind scenes in the way the various political parties have been painfully negotiating alliances, and their members learning to put parliamentary procedure to better purpose. The House’s own research and information section (established by Speaker

Guise) has been gaining the confi dence of New Guinean backbenchers when they have a point to make, but no facts and figures to make it with, The research section helps them identify their ideas, or tackle the daunting piles of paper. For example, the section condensed the 209 page report of the inquiry into rural wages to 10 pages of Pidgin, to everybody’s relief.

Through the whole of this meeting ran the ogre of the elections, with member after member making a last ditch, despairing plea to the Admims tration to give their particular neglected villages the roads and bridges their electors had been de manding for so long, else there was no hope of their holding their seats, Peter Lus, of the Sepik, summed it up bitterly when he said it wasn’t a constitutional report that was needed, but “a report that will establish roads and bridges in this country”, The constitutional report was the highlight of the session, but the debate was tamer than the expen ences the touring committee had in collecting the facts, because there was really nothing much left to say.

Although committee chairman Paulus Arek irritatingly defended it against all-comers as if it were Holy Writ, the report was in fact a go<ad one, and was passed except for its pro posal for a Bill of Rights (which will come later), and for Papua and New Guinea to be known as Niugini, and the people Niuginians.

With that basic shrewdness for which the New Guinean is noted, members decided there was no point in rushing into a name. Australian Bert Counsel (Papuan Gulf), more

forthright than shrewd, said the only way he’d agree to the proposed name was if you spelled it Niugini and legally pronounced it Papua. He added, “Ask any Papuan whether he is a Niuginian and you’ll probably get a punch up the bracket".

There were mutterings off-stage when the constitutional debate abruptly ended because some mem bers thought they were voting an amendment instead of the motion itself. But later efforts by Oscar Tam mur to reopen the debate on these grounds was a terrible failure, so the House really was tired of it.

The only question on which I would like to have seen more light shed was on the suggestion by Voutas that the electors might well have voted against having regional mem bers in the next House if the wording of the committee’s questionnaire had not been loaded.

The committee’s recommendations will now go to the Australian Parlia ment, which is certain to agree to them.

Main points are: • That development of P-NG be geared to preparing the country for internal self-government during the life of the next Assembly (1972-76). & That the system of government be a central government, with one House of Parliament as at present. • That the next House consist of

18 regional members, 82 from open electorates, four official members and up to three members nominated for special purposes by the House if it thinks it necessary. • That the Administrator’s Execu tive Council should consist of the Ad ministrator, 10 ministers and three officials. ® That a crest and flag for the territory be adopted (picture, p. 29).

The Assembly building will have to be enlarged for the next House, prob ably by cutting into the public galleries, but there may have to be a new House for 1976. The meeting accepted the report of a select com mittee which suggested a cost analysis be undertaken of a possible new site for parliament in the Arena Valley, Morobe district. Which probably means it will be pigeonholed.

Later in the sitting, and apropos of nothing, Percy Chatterton, in four sentences, proposed that the Territory of Papua and New Guinea be known simply as the Territory of Papua New Guinea. John Maneke (Talasea) sup ported him, in two sentences. The motion was promptly passed on the voices without debate—surely the quickest name change any country ever had.

There was no such unity when Paul Lapun (Bougainville) proposed that a committee look into the question, once and for all, of whether the Bougain ville people wanted a referendum on the subject of secession from the rest of the territory. The motion was rejected after the Deputy Administra tor, Tony Newman, built up a head of steam warning members against the dangers of smashing up the territory by splintering it off in bits.

The unity thing was a thread run ning through the entire meeting. In stinctively members knew that with

out some kind of even rough and tumble unity the territory could not hope to proceed to self-government —yet they persisted in tempting fate by reminding each other of their dif ferences.

As for instance when Sinake Gire gire. Ministerial Member for Posts and Telegraphs, moved that if a Labour Government should get into power in Australia at the next elec tions, the territory should con sider getting the UN to find NG another administering power.

He was, it seems, testing the feel ing of the House, and the feeling was that he was stupid for even bringing the matter up. Before it was watered right down by amendment there was a wide-ranging verbal argument which put Papuans against New Guineans, coastal people against Highlanders, black against white.

Many observers were horrified that things had apparently got to this state, but it was little more than steam be ing let off at the end of a long meet ing—and more particularly after a dinner break when many hon. mem bers are inclined to dine not wisely, but too well. I particularly liked Percy Chatterton’s threat (offered be fore dinner) that if New Guineans ever became aliens in Papua, the Papuans would insist on them all speaking Motu.

The Ides of March brought a threat or two to Speaker Guise from the floor of the House. First he was attacked for going on record to the BBC on political matters, as reported in PIM, Feb., p. 33. (Guise replied that he was speaking in his capacity as Member for Alotau, and didn’t deny the accuracy of the PIM story).

He was then condemned for allegedly including the wrong man in a par liamentary delegation he was to lead

to Indonesia in ate March. He changed the man.

Guise, I suspect, will divest him self of the Speakership by year’s end, because he thinks he can do more f or b j s e i ec t o rate from the floor of House For such a long session, not much work got done. Among the more im portant legislation, the Land Bills, which will give native owners title to customary land and a better chance to develop it, will be debated next meeting. The bill to establish an In vestment Corporation as a brokerage house for the benefit of New Guineans, survived a variety of efforts to amend it and was passed. The meeting ended with a whimper for want of a quorum, on its 13th sitting day, its business unfinished.