By Martyn Namorong

This week Papua New Guinea celebrates 36 years of Political Independence. Amongst the euphoria and celebrations, I thought I’d throw in something more sobering. Something for you folks to think about whilst you’re dancing and feasting.

Papua New Guinea is an independent state that consists of the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and about 600 smaller islands. The interior of the mainland is rugged terrain consisting of mountain ranges that span the length of the island. Its coastal environment varies from the swamp plains of the Sepik and Western Province, to the large tracts of tropical rainforest that carpet the rest of the island.

There are over 800 different indigenous languages and three official languages; English, Pidgin and Motu. The diversity of language also corresponds to diversity in culture, beliefs, diets, and societal organization.

Papua New Guinea received political independence from Australia on the 16th of September 1975. It is a democracy modeled on the Westminster system of Government. The reigning monarch of the United Kingdom is Head of State. It has a unicameral Parliament with 109 seats. A Prime Minister elected by Parliament, heads the executive arm of government along with Cabinet Ministers.

The legal system is inherited from the colonial Masters and is headed by the Chief Justice. The Constitution of Papua New Guinea is the Supreme Law. Common Law and Underlying Law principles are recognized by the legal system. There are three levels of the courts; the lowest being the District Courts and the Highest being the SUPREME COURT. Most serious civil and criminal matters are heard in the National Court.

Papua New Guinea is a resource rich poor nation. It natural resources include, oil and gas, gold, copper, timber, fisheries and agricultural products. Its GDP has grown from US$ 3 Billion in 2000 to US$ 9 Billion in 2010. Yet despite this economic growth, the number of people living below the poverty line has increased from 37.5% in 1996 to an estimated 53.5% in 2003.

The standards of education at all levels have deteriorated significantly. Literacy levels have dropped from 72.2% in 1998 to 59.6% in 2009.

Health indicators have also taken a sharp nose dive. Rates of Tuberculosis infections are on the rise and the system cannot cope with the numbers. Maternal mortality is at an alarming rate of 773 mothers dying per 100 000 live births. Delivery of health supplies is disgracefully inefficient and constipated.

Corruption, crime, violence and substance abuse are at epidemic proportions. In 2010 PNG was ranked 154 out of 178 countries by Transparency Internationals Corruption Perception Index, making it one of the most corrupt nations on earth. Another recent survey also rated Port Moresby as one of the worst livable city on earth just ahead of Harare in Zimbabwe.

There is a resource grab currently underway under the pretext of development and economic growth. Over 5.2 million hectares of customary land has been alienated with immediate suspension of customary rights for 99 years and without any payment of rent or compensation to the customary landowners. The Environment Act has been amended to allow miners to dump their toxic offal into the pristine environment. A very heavy presence of Police at the LNG Project site seeks to quell any landowner dissent over the $14 billion gas project.

Papua New Guinea is on SALE and not necessarily to the highest bidder.

WAY FORWARD

We need to deliberately work towards bringing to the surface the latent nationalism that exists with-in the masses. One only sees this outpouring of national pride around independence celebrations or when the Kumuls are playing. I believe most Papua New Guineans are disappointed by the many failures of the nation - not just the loses of the Kumuls.

However, somewhere under the ‘I don’t give a damn about this country’ attitude, there is a sense that things need to improve. Herein lies the potential to mobilize the citizens of this nation to improve our current situation.

How would I bring positive change in the lives of the citizens? Before I outline my plan let me set out the context of that plan. I will use as my guide the factors that the Chinese General Sun Tzu identified as crucial for consideration. In The Art Of War Sun Tzu writes;

The art of war, then, is governed by five constant factors, to be taken into account in one's deliberations, when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining in the field.

These are: (1) the Moral Law; (2) Heaven; (3) Earth; (4) the Commander; (5) method and discipline.

Let me now consider each of the factors with-in the PNG context.

1. Moral Law

Sun Tzu is referring to the Bases of Legitimacy as identified by Max Webber i.e. legitimations of the sovereign state based on tradition, charisma/faith and by legal statute.

Taken with-in the PNG context the idea of the Moral Law would refer to the legitimacy and relevance of the State in the lives of the citizens. No-one in PNG questions the relevance of the state. That is evident in statements typified by ‘gavman mas wokim dispel samtin’, etc… where there is lacking, people assume that by default it is the states responsibility to fill in the gap. This is consistent with Edmund Burke’s statement that “the state is a contrivance of human wisdom for the fulfillment of human needs”.

By acknowledging the existence of the ‘gavman’, do the people therefore legitimize its existence? I beg to differ. In my opinion, the people question the legitimacy of the state. For example, there is a difference of opinion over the common law principle of crown ownership of natural resources. For a Papua New Guinean, wanem samtin stap antap o aninit lo graun blo mi em blo mi. This is the basis of the conflicts between the state and the people beginning with the Bougainville crisis and currently manifested in the Southern Highlands. The defiance of court orders and the lack of social cohesion and social order illustrate the crisis of legitimacy.

The crisis of legitimacy arises from the fact that the basis of legitimacy of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea is what Max Weber described as ‘domination by virtue of legality.’ In the words of Buri Kidu in Supreme Court Reference No 2 of 1976

“The Constitution came into effect on 16th September 1975, and cannot have a retrospective operation; it created a new order…”

Therefore, the basis of the legitimacy of the new order is the Constitution since it is the Constitution that created the new order. The state is legitimate so long as the people are willing to obey the Constitution… see my blog article titled The Seventh Parliament.

2. HEAVEN & 3. Earth

Heaven and Earth signify the environmental variables that influence progress or the lack of it. Papua New Guinea is a geologically young country having being formed 12 million years ago by the collision of the Australasian and Pacific plates. It is a tectonically active region due to the subduction of the Pacific Plate by the Australasian. It is subject to atmospheric conditions generated by changes in the Southern Oscillation Index resulting in La Nina and El Nino weather patterns. Being located near the equator it has a tropical climate – equatorial towards the north and monsoonal in the south-western region. It is biologically diverse and environmentally challenging. Warm tropical seas host multiple coral reefs and tuna spawning grounds. There are massive flood plains surrounding the Fly and Sepik rivers with a large delta region in the Gulf of Papua. Tropical islands are scattered along the Louisade and Bismarck archipelagoes. A central spine of mountain ranges runs along the major island of New Guinea.

Development plans must take into account these realities. Geological forces and geographical features of the land and sea will influence development outcomes. It is not just about preserving the environment as directed by the Fourth National Goal and Directive Principle (Natural resources and environment) but also the consideration these variables when venturing on any developmental project.

4. COMMANDER

What Sun Tzu is referring to is the Tok Pisin term “Pasin”. Pasin does not just refer to attitude rather more importantly it stresses values. It isn’t a moral code but it concerns social etiquette. For example, if a Highlander/New Guinean does a big favour for you he expects no less ‘compensation’ than a pig. If you do not give him a pig he would say ‘em nogat pasin yah, pipia man/meri’. Luksave is also a social etiquette term. Yu mas luksave lo ol lain. It is about acknowledgment of people.

In order to motivate and mobilize the nation these social skills must be utilized by agents of the State. The aspirations of the people and the general will must be expressed in policies and plans. Papua New Guineans are currently treated not as citizens but subjects of the state by agents of the state.

The treatment of teachers by the Education department illustrates the lack of luksave lo wok ol tisa I mekim na wankain tu lo Helt department na pasin em mekin lo ol dokta.

These Papua New Guinean ways are called for by the Fifth National Goal and Directive Principle (Papua New Guinean ways)

The State missed the plot in Bougainville when it didn’t understand the social/cultural context of the people, especially the fact that land is passed along matrilineal lines. The state continues to fail in its understanding of traditional Melanesian Pasin. It isn’t because the agents of the state are culturally illiterate although some may be; it is largely due to greed and pursuit of individual ambitions over the common good.

5. Method and Discipline

Sun Tzu said;

“If words of command are not clear and distinct, if orders are not thoroughly understood, the general is to blame. But if his orders are clear, and the soldiers nevertheless disobey, then it is the fault of their officers.”

That is the nature of the problem with this nation. A poorly educated population is unable to meaningfully participate in the modern state. Being disenfranchised, there is a tendency towards chaos and disregard for the commands of the state. The general is to be blamed because the orders do not resonate with the masses.

Bringing Change to the lives of the citizens

In my article The Political economy of Everything that is wrong in developing Papua New Guinea, I argue that the education system disempowers many by not providing the necessary tools for survival in either the cash economy or the subsistence economy.

I was surprised to find out recently that actually, this was pretty much what Adam Smith talked about in the first few paragraphs of the introduction to his work titled AN INQUIRY INTO THE NATURE AND CAUSES OF THE WEALTH OF NATIONS. Adam Smith states that

“Whatever be the soil, climate, or extent of territory of any particular nation, the abundance or scantiness of its annual supply must, in that particular situation, depend upon those two circumstances.”

…

1. “The skill, dexterity, and judgment with which its labour is generally applied”

2. “The proportion between the number of those who are employed in useful labour, and that of those who are not so employed”

We need to ensure that education up to Year 12 is free and compulsory. There wouldn’t be any grade 8 and grade 10 exams, however students would have to pass an end of year exam set by the school in order to move to the next grade or else they repeat a year. By the end of Year 12 each student should have a trade certificate along with the Higher School certificate. The aim of educating the population would be to prepare them to meaningfully participate with-in the modern economy and society.

In order for Papua New Guineans to meaningfully participate in social, political, employment and business opportunities they must be adequately trained by the education system. The current lack of participation of Papua New Guineans in all these areas stems from the capacity constraints they feel as a result of being insufficiently educated.

Secondly, improve the communications systems and infrastructure. In 2009 the Lowy Institute published a paper concerning economic issues and poverty in PNG. The paper highlighted amongst other things the need for better linkages between centers of economic activity and the rest of the population. Poor transportation networks are a hindrance to trade and labour mobility. Rural people have enormous difficulty moving goods to and from markets and accessing essential services such as banking and healthcare. The type of transportation each region needs would depend on the geographical particularities of that region.

Having access to accurate up to date news and information is also vital. Access to Market news, health/educational information, financial services, etc… depends on a cheap, efficient and reliable communications network. This also improves the data collection capacity of state agencies ensuring far more accurate information about the country. There needs to be more competition in the mobile phone and internet market to ensure this becomes reality.

A sound and efficient communications network serves as the plumbing for the movement of labour, capital, goods and information as well as the mode of transmission of power and influence of the state.

Thirdly, investing in good governance by enhancing the capabilities of institutions of Accountability will restore order in the current chaos. Funding is needed to enhance the capacity of the Law and justice sector to ensure the upholding of the Law. As I mentioned earlier, the modern state of Papua New Guinea is a product of the Law called the Constitution. The legitimacy of the state is therefore dependent on obedience to the law. It is therefore imperative that there be investment in the institutions, techniques and instruments that ensure subjugation to the law.

Thus investments in education, communication and governance are important empowering tools that enable the population to participate in the social, economic and political life of the nation. Every other function of the state depends on the governance/security of the state, the communications network and an educated workforce to discharge the duties of the state. I am aware that the major disincentive for government services reaching the vast majority of our people is the remoteness and isolation of the communities and the lack of security.

Through education we empower more people and by ensuring non-corruptible government systems we ensure equal opportunity for everyone. Good communications networks ensure people have the necessary information to make good decisions and are able to move to seek better opportunities in life.

Having said all that, Clausewitz warns:

“All things in war are simple but even the simplest things are difficult because of the concept of friction”.

In PNG, FRICTION arises as a result of conflicting parochial interests. For Sun Tzu, friction is avoided by militarily eliminating the cause of the friction. In a democracy, politics doesn’t work like that. But this can be overcomed in what Weber describes as a process of “… striving to share power or striving to influence the distribution of power, either among states or among groups within a state.”

happy independence olgeta!