How do you think the nation today compares to how it was envisaged at independenc e?

By: Patrick Kaiku

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is the most diverse nation in the Pacific Islands region, perhaps also in the world. In PNG alone, there are more than 800 different lang uage groups. Cultural practices and traditions vary from place to place. Further , the human diversity is compounded by its topography. The open seas, rivers, mo untains, valleys, marshlands and so forth are natural barriers to communities in teracting. The lack of affinity to a nation is understandable given the isolatio n and insulated existence of communities since time immemorial. Most communities within PNG only came into sustained contact with each other onl y after the Second World War in the Pacific. The nation will remain as a vague e ntity. The nation as a form of political entity has little significance to popul ations who have relied for thousands of years on the immediate security provided by the clan and tribal unit. Bonds in clans and tribes are created, and reinfor ced through familial and genealogical connections, institutionalized rituals and communal endeavors and sustained levels of exchanges and linguistic similaritie s. The lack of any sense of nationalism affects the development of PNG as a modern nation. A common national identity is an important prerequisite for PNGs developm ent. Since independence, the absence of a sense of nationhood is the foundation o f many of Papua New Guineas problems (White and Wainwright, 2004:34). Law and orde r problems in PNG bring to light this scenario. The law and order problems in PN G are attributed to the lack of any sense of common identity, and especially in a country that had relatively short and uneven experience of central administration (Dinnen, 2001:1). Amidst all its socio-cultural complexities, linguistic diversity and the limited historical connections amongst its peoples, how has the nation fared since inde pendence? In the lead-up to independence in 1975, the Constitutional Planning Co mmittee (hereafter CPC) undertook a momentous exercise of writing the Constituti on of PNG. The Constitution represents the collective will and aspirations of th e people of PNG since it was put in place after an exhaustive consultation proces s (Gelu, 2010:143). In their attempts to find homogeneity in PNGs diversity, the National Goals and D irective Principles (NGDPs) were envisaged. The CPC also recognized PNGs diversit y as a national ideology. One is bound to hear references to slogans such as Unit y in Diversity. Such proclamations acknowledge the resilience of Papua New Guinea ns to co-exist as a united nation. It celebrates tolerance of each others cultura l and linguistic differences. However Unity in Diversity has its limitation. Urbanized settings in PNG are central locations where cultural, linguistic and r egional groups find themselves together. Outbreaks of tribal or ethnic fights an d skirmishes in urban areas such as Port Moresby, Lae and Mount Hagen have alway s been among tribal, regional or linguistic groups. In contemporary PNG, it is a dual reality for citizens. Papua New Guineans source their identity and securit y from both their primordial connections while abiding by the top-down discourses extolling PNGs national unity. A case in point was in the aftermath of the violence at the Gordon Market in Por t Moresby in early 2011. The Gordon incident saw two different ethnic groups fro m the Highlands region of PNG going on a rampage. No visible sense of authority exists in a place where different groups seem to counterbalance each others numer ical strength. Triggered by the mindless acts of an alcohol-induced youth, the s

ubsequent violence resulted in the death of several persons. Immediately after t his incident, non-Highland groups condemned the acts as barbaric and uncivilized . Some Papuans even called for the repatriation of Highlanders back to their pr ovinces. Marginalization of customary land-owners and control over land has shown that lo calism will override any sense of affinity to fellow citizens of the nation. The events that led to the Bougainville civil war had the same insider-outsider featu res. Indigenous Bougainvilleans felt that they were encroached upon by mainland Papua New Guineans. The resentments results in a full-pledged civil war that spa nned almost a decade and saw more than 20,000 people dead. Nation-building is th erefore a challenge. The reality in PNG, like in other Melanesian countries is t hat the nation is not the only source of identity and security. There are social units such as the tribe whose existence has more direct bearing and legitimacy on the lives of the peoples. The challenge: Development and other forms of inter ventions in PNG and Melanesian countries should be informed by the diversities i n this part of the world. There will definitely be no quick-fix or universal mod els of development for nations that to date do not exist. Mr. Patrick Kaiku teaches in the political science department at the University of Papua New Guinea.