‘Buai-spet’ as a metaphor in today’s Papua New Guinea

JOHN FOWKE

I AM INDEBTED FOR THESE PHOTOS to my old friend and workmate, Malum Nalu. The big building is the new, luxurious Grand Papua Hotel, of 20 storeys, recently opened upon the site of what was once known as Port Moresby’s “Top Pub”.

The other photo is of a recently-erected and quickly ‘spet upon’ anti-spitting sign, part of a city-wide campaign for urban cleanliness and order.

It was placed upon the city-side slope of the freeway that crosses from the massive Harbour City complex on the waterfront over to Four Mile where prime minister Peter O’Neill’s popular Paddy’s Bar & Hotel has replaced the colonial-era Boroko Hotel.

Once a part of the Steamships-Collins & Leahy joint venture empire, the onetime Boroko Hotel is at least owned and controlled by a citizen.

Not so the widely-spread STC wholesale-retail empire. It no longer exists, having been absorbed and digested within that amorphous commercial leviathan, the Asian wholesale-retail business invasion of the past two decades.

Whilst unlikely to emulate the gold-rush cities of San Francisco or Johannesburg in their early years, good old POM demonstrates a gamut of rash optimism, great greed, opportunism and corruption all enclosed, like the living seed of a rotten fruit, within the encircling, deteriorating flesh comprising the abode of ‘The Other’.

‘The Other’ are the low-paid, under-employed and often-destitute second-and-third-generation squatters live in varied circumstances or gradations of poverty, malnourishment, lacking proper sanitation and water-supply.

The squatters and the unemployed are largely denied rights of access to justice, basic health services and education for their children. Their young know well that they are bereft of lifetime opportunities.

Bedevilled by crime and affected by deeply-felt resentment, even hatred, these humans rightly consider they are intrinsically equal to all, but remain unequal in what they are told is a land of great wealth and promise.

Unable or unwilling to fulfil social obligations in the far-off places which they stubbornly call asples blo mi  they know that they are condemned to remain unequal. Condemned by the system to languish forever in poverty and discomfort, without sight, sound or smell even of the clean green grass and clear water of what many still  fondly call home.

The erection of numbers of large and luxurious hotels and blocks of residential units in Port Moresby, the result of a Viagra-like infusion of optimism, greed and rapacity driven by the rising tide of the liquefied-gas-export era, together with continuing rumblings of ever-more mineral and forest-timber extraction projects, is not invisible to these people.

But they are reduced in some cases to combing the Six-Mile dump for food scraps and items for resale, namely bottles, old car batteries, non-ferrous metals, repairable shoes, clean sacks and bags.

It is in these circumstances that betel-nut spet on signs such as the one pictured may not be regarded as evidence of rampant and endemic delinquency or stupidity. No, it is an indication of inchoate, unfocussed but deeply-felt resentment and discontent.

Discontent  with life as it is lived today in the villages and the settlements of PNG where 95% of the population languishes. Long gone is the time, 50 years ago, when a visiting FAO agronomist could describe PNG villagers as living in a state of “subsistence affluence.”

Camped on the shores of the Gulf at Kaimare Island in the early sixties, I recall the pleasure created by a smiling lady who came along the beach with a greeting and the gift of a sago-stick made with grated coconut and added Sunshine milk powder, accompanied by a small pot of tea and a cup on a tray.

I also remember a man who came proudly to me one day, bearing what he described as a tinmit pie which he had cooked together with loaves of bread in his 44-gallon-drum oven.

He was at pains to tell me that he had worked for many years at the PMF bakery and that he wished for approval to trade as a baker here in his remote Gulf village.

These pleasing experiences may not occur today, for villagers can no more afford to buy packaged goods, bags of rice and flour, candles, kerosene, soap, needles and thread, exercise books and pencils.

And nor do the coastal shipping services - provided back then by STC, BP and the Federation of Cooperative Societies - exist to bring goods and uplift village copra and sago.

Cash income and opportunity for small enterprise are not just diminished. In many places they have vanished entirely.

The little cash available is saved for trips to the local district station or to the provincial capital for medical treatment; the aid-post system having broken down in most rural areas.

Doctors and nurses often send patients away to purchase medicine and bandages and disposable hypodermics, for often there is none in stock at the hospital.

Cash is saved to cover what once were rights but now are contingencies. This is an impoverished society, demonstrably governed and managed by the greedy and the lazy and the incompetent.

It is a nation yet to discover within itself a stratum of idealism, ethical leadership, energetic nationalism; a new, educated and detribalised leadership with the willingness to stand up to the corrupt and the manipulative, to insist upon the restoration of fairness, justice and an equitable share in the commonwealth of the people, for the people.

Yes, buai juice spat upon signs are a signal, a warning of what may come. A warning that wise leaders and citizens would do well to recognise and dwell upon.

But there are other signs, more complex buai spets.

In this and similar  PNG-focussed blogs one sees quite lurid outbursts of frustration and resentment, shaped and delivered as withering critiques of the colonials of yesteryear and present-generation Australians in general. These appear quite frequently.

Whilst justified in cases where dishonesty or incompetence or arrogance has been proved to have existed, a broad anti-Oz sentiment seems to be widely present within that sector of PNG society which refers to itself as “the elites.” A current example is the outburst of Erasmus Baraniak published here a day or so ago.

Erasmus Baraniak is, one thinks, a first-rate writer, erudite, well-informed, and apparently apolitical. A poet, too.

One is thus driven to reflect that there must be something in the way of adverse personal experience with an Aussie or Aussies which drives a man to publish in these terms.

Of course much of what Erasmus says about Australia and Australians is either justifiable or arguable, and Erasmus is welcome to say what he feels. There is nothing of libel in what he has said. Two points come to mind, though.

First, having made something of a study of Australia, in many aspects one assumes that Erasmus is well aware of the ironical mindset, some may say thick skin, which is a component of the national psyche and which contributes to the somewhat strange Aussie sense of humour.

Thus he is on the receiving end of some very mild rejoinders from constant commentators among the PNG blogs readership. Even my friend of some 45 years, Tony Flynn, a man of strong opinions, is not inclined to come down hard upon Erasmus.

The thing is that this sort of critique is too virulent, verging on the petulant, to warrant a serious rejoinder from most Australians. Down these Aussie backs, Erasmus, your passionate invective and criticism will slide like water off the proverbial pato tail feathers.

Secondly, any reasonable and careful analysis of the state of the PNG nation today reveals that, in all prime human environmental and social development, it is doing deplorably badly, at huge cost to its future.

And this regardless of great and increasing wealth derived from extractive industries and the entry into the professions of many talented and able PNG men and women. Many of these, but not all, are lost to overseas employment, it is true.

This is the nation which acquired its independence with the acquiescence and agreement of the Australians and the “young turks” who formed PANGU, almost all of whom have held very responsible political, professional and management positions, and for many terms in some cases.

Names such as that of Sir Michael Somare come to mind, and Sir Michael remains both the recognised Father of the Nation and a vocal and very active member of the PNG parliament to this day.

This is the leadership which has overseen PNG’s progress for the past 37 years and thus must be held responsible for the results achieved.

So, may I ask you, Erasmus, is all your fuming and fulminating over the weaknesses and the calumnies, the falsely-based self-assurance and the arrogance of the Australians, a sort of elite or educated Papua New Guinean buai spet as reaction in shame and frustration to the calamitous state of your nation’s public institutions and the discordant and often meaningless spate of policy-promises and assurances that issue week by week?

Has the state of the nation, so to speak, driven you not to drink, as it well it might if you were an Australian, but to a huge, big metaphorical buai spet levelled at the annoying but hardly essentially important Aussies?

Would it not make more sense if a man of your undoubted talents and ability to evoke meaningful word pictures were to discover the idealism which must lurk within you and turn this together with all your other talents to the awakening of PNG’s educated middle-class to the desperate need for it to find itself as one big clan of common interest instead of a weak and insubstantial mass with sapped by concepts of tribal allegiance and ensuing distrust?

There are so many ways in which people of Erasmus’s level of learning and life-experience could help relaunch this much-loved land along a pathway where the common citizens’ democratic right to justice, to full and effective representation and to a rightful share in the commonwealth of the nation is restored.

Thus a happy, healthy and self-confident nation might soon take its place on the world stage with justifiable pride. All it needs is hard work, lots of guts and some self-sacrifice. There are lots of people who will get behind you once you give the lead.

Comments

[Kevin Lock]

John, trying to contact you through your email address johnfowke@bigpond.com without success. Please let me have your new email address.

Locky, Arehava Mero

[Don Tapio]

Hi John,

The writting style employed in the article by Erasmus, Martyn et al is an all too common method among the plethora of political bloggers popping up in PNG.

The articles are more a protestation of class vindictiveness than practical reality.

Many Papua New Guineans are quietly (without publishing their work on blogs) working to make a positive difference for their country by going about their business by the 'way of the beaver'.

I agree with you and Phil here that these are the people who need more support than the constant barrage of whimperings being broadcast here.

[Paulus Korema]

Hey guys, I discovered a site that has all of Baraniak's ramblings by simply googling his name.

All his writings are posted on a site by the name of Melanesian Currents
http://melanesiancurrents.com/profile/ErasmusBaraniak?xg_source=activity

So look it up if you care. He has been obviously thinking a little bit, not just raiting or reacting.

[Chalapi Pomat]

John - Now you are talking my language. I am from the coastal fishing village where, fishing, copra and cocoa and timber is our go.

Not familiar with coffee but - hey - the concept which you discuss is brilliant and will apply to all. Crikey, where do we start? Erasmus and Martyn are you with us?

[John Fowke]

Chalapi, Erasmus and Martyn: just an idea to mull over.

Despite frequent criticism and whilst carrying its own load of problems, PNG's coffee industry is the nation's most successful vehicle for villager/subsistance farmers to earn a fair cash return- cash-in-the-hand, for effort put in on their own land.

Fair, at any rate where the road is open and rival 'raskolmangi" are not numerous enough to stop a variety of buyers coming in to compete for the product at the roadside.

This is because the coffee-industry is free-enterprise, highly-competitive, and controlled by the growers who elect seven of the twelve directors sitting on the Board of CIC, the industry's regulatory body.

There are three Government appointees on the Board, representing Finance,Agriculture and Commerce Depts., leaving only two other stakeholder groups, the factories and the exporters who are not necessarily aligned with the growers.

Although in fact they usually are where discussion is of positive proposals.

For all its vicissitudes, occasional political interference, ripoffs like that perpetrated by the late Walter Perdacher of Mt Hagen who died owing the growers 47 million kina, this is a model enterprise for the villager.

Such a pity that the copra and cocoa industries cant inject some direction and energy into their Boards. But thats another story. Here's the one for you to consider.

What about a Timber Industry Corporation owned by 20 Provincial Timber Owners Associations appointing a board of 10 grower reps, three government reps, a miller and transporter rep, and an exporter rep..

Villages/clans/tribes with millable, harvestable timber on their land would appoint a trained forestry assessor
to census, mark and sat-nav mark trees ready for felling.

The the landowners would meet regularly to agree upon the trees to be felled and the split-up of proceeds after the timber was transported out and sold.

The timber would be felled and milled with a wokabaut somil owned by the group.

The product would be standard-size flitches for eventual breaking-down into desired sizes by end-users. Size suitable for dragging or mini-tractor pulling out to roadhead.

A trade in container-lots of dried export flitches of named size and species would be developed by Board-licenced timber export companies- ( private and competitive- not centrally-controlled "quazi-governmental" shitfights.)

Owners groups would sell to the licenced exporters either by tender per container lot as specified, or by monthly auction. Transport from roadhead or riverhead to the exporter would be the subject of separate negotiation.

Okay- its a vast and tangled bamboo-jungle to negotiate, even only considering existing, huge vested interests and their political links, and a huge drafting job to build up an Act and modify other Acts as necessary.

But, hell, its a really good idea, isnt it? Its not cargo-cult, though there are lots of pitfalls, so do spend some time thinking and talking and maybe getting heads together.

[Chalapi Pomat]

It is time we channel the energy and the talent of the likes of Erasmus and Martyn Namorong to start a campaign about making good the joint - firstly cleanup all the "deadwood", then all the bagarapment and korapment, of which for a start put a stop on all forms of solwara bagarapment.

Not going to happen overnight I know but we must make a start because, as Erasmus rightly pointed out before, tuna and clean ocean and clean environment is where the real "value add" lies to PNG people.

Then we look at putting a stop to the bagarapment and korapment that is associated with timber loging.

These are the kind of matters that the PNG people can identify with - not the 'Viagra-like infusion of optimism', korapment and bagarapment which is all there is to show for since 1975.

[David Wall]

John, I completely agree with you, and your colourful and descriptive language fills me with admiration, with wording like: 'Viagra-like infusion of optimism'. Keep giving us your insights!

[Phil Fitzpatrick]

I'm not so sure that Erasmus is criticising Australians in Papua New Guinea. Nor am I convinced that his essay is some sort of striking out for someone else to blame for PNG's woes.

My impression is that he is reacting to the constant and harping criticism of his country by pointing out that everything is not exactly hunky dory in Australia either.

My take on the development in Port Moresby and other PNG towns is that the country is on the cusp of a big change.

Perhaps it is Peter Costello's beloved market forces that are at work. Whatever it is there is a palpable scent of optimism in the air.

PNG is a very different country to the one we left in 1975. For a start there are almost four times as many people there. In some places people are running out of space.

Secondly, those people in the settlements are now largely of mixed parentage, as are many of the elites.

Just check out the antecedents of the writers in the latest Crocodile anthology if you don't believe me. In that sense the old clan allegiances are rapidly falling away.

John Fowke is right in pointing out all the inequities in PNG but he could equally do the same for Australia.

I think that the Michael Somares of the world have had their day in the sun and it is shining somewhere else.

Those old fogeys propping up the bar in the Weight Inn need to stick their heads out the window to see what's going on.

[Paulus Ripa]

Thanks John. I read Erasmus's column last night with some distaste. All I could think of was the statement by Lord Acton once that an ideal democracy is one where minorities are protected.

Take out the tribalism from rural PNG society and we are left with a government and a ruling class that hardly conforms to what we might call a just and humane democracy with no safety net for the oppressed and underprivileged.

As I have stated many times before we PNGians need to remove the "blame some one" mantle and take on a "what can I do to change my society" in whatever way we can.

Often so much is achieved actually doing and living it rather than preaching.

[Mrs Barbara Short]

Thank you, John. Well said, even if I found the long sentences a bit hard to follow!

But you are right. PNG needs people like Erasmus to work out ways for PNG to solve its problems of korapment and bagarapment.

I agree that PNG needs to concentrate on the common citizen's democratic right to justice, and a fair share for every citizen in the wealth of the nation.

The country must start to replace the old tribal allegiance with an allegiance to PNG. Your wantok is now your fellow PNGian no matter where he comes from. He includes the squatter in the towns, and the most isolated village groups in the wilds of PNG.

Maybe you can think up PNG words for Mateship and a Fair Go, but I feel those concepts need to be introduced.

Something is evidently wrong in the way the country has developed since the Australians left. As a past headmistress, I feel I forgot to give enough sermons on "love thy neighbour".

[Paul Oates]

Thanks John. We needed that erudite enunciation of Erasmus' continual 'buai spets' to effectively reflect a more reasoned approach. Having tried to engage Erasmus in discussion in what I thought a reasonable manner, my attempts were dismissed out or hand and in a distinctly peremptory manner. Since I have never to my knowledge met the man, why would this be so?

If Erasmus actually wishes to improve his nation and his people's lot, he might well start looking closer to home for some more practical ideas than to blame the very convenient 'sanguma' man irrespective of whether he exists or not.

Q. It's rather like the old story about where do you find a helping hand these days?

A. On the end of your own arm.