Democracy may be detrimental to Melanesian society

DON TAPIO

THE FIRST AND MOST COMMON misconception prevalent among international critics of leadership in Papua New Guinea is the attempt to analyse the prevalent behaviour using existing comparative models, the favourites being Africa, South America or Asia.

This is a pitfall as academia will continue to be disappointed because PNG leaders notoriously defy existing patterns used in analysing their political affiliations and behaviour.

A unique model for a society in transition proves evasive as the model must suffice to incorporate the remarkable differences in the leadership style between regions; i.e., Highlander, Sepik, Coastal or Papuan-Southern societies, and also accommodate for the differences within: for example, Samarai and Hula or Sepik and Morobe.

Therefore it is a futile venture to attempt to describe a pattern, as there can be no satisfactory average or typical Melanesian mini-society that can be studied to extract a successful model.

One has to agree that it would trying, especially for a young nation like ours, to achieve the ideal 'thriving western democracy' as Susan Merrell has put it.

PNG should realise that the capitalist based and engineered western democracy which our founding fathers chose with the 'appropriate urging' of our colonial masters may be detrimental to our unique society.

The best way forward will be for Papua New Guineans to forge their own path that will work for our people without compromising our unique heritage and identity.

This is a very important point in the Melanesian context considering the increasing number of cultures becoming bastardised by the globalisation tsunami.

Only when we have lost our cultural heritage and identity either traditional or adopted (Christian principles) can we understand the lamentations of the west which has already either lost or forsaken its heritage in a rush to develop and integrate into a bastardised culture.

Comments

[Robin Lillicrapp]

It is probably a mistake to place the blame upon classic Democracy; Out of it came the prized constitutions of "free" societies.

We have now entered into an era in which those constitutions are blithely over-ridden by the degree of control exerted by the marriage of politics and commerce aka Fascism.

This control is tied to the influence of free market economics.

A primer on the subject is comprehensive coverage by author and journalist, Naomi Klein.

In 'The Shock Doctrine', Klein explodes the myth that the global free market triumphed democratically.

If you can't access the book, here's a you tube link for a lecture on the subject:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZJKi1VHdpU

[Peter Kranz]

So has PNG's experiment with "western democracy" provided for better hospitals, roads, communications - surely these were better provided under colonial rule (decidedly undemocratic)?

Napoleon provided these, but he was no democrat.

Stalin provided these, but he was no democrat.

Tito provided these, but he was no democrat.

What is sacred about western-style democracy?

Hasn't it brought about exactly the problems we see in developing countries around the world?

It seems many Papua New Guineans see it as just an excuse for western-style exploitation. And who can blame them?

Maybe there is a Melanesian way that does not conform neatly to a waitpela's idea of 'democracy' where economic interests and government by the rich and powerful is all-consuming.

(Eg. how much have Obama and Romney spent on their 'democratic' campaigns? Look at the shenanigans within Labor and Liberal in Australia.)

So in the words of Monty Python, what has democracy given us?

[Don Tapio]

Hi Susan - I apologise for the 'misquote'. We can understand what assumptions presume when 'quoting' one liners to rebut.

This short piece was originally intended as an an opinion on your article on PNG Attitude 'Democracy, custom & the elasticity of the Melanesian Way'.

Link: http://asopa.typepad.com/asopa_people/2012/08/democracy-custom-the-elasticity-of-the-melanesian-way.html?cid=6a00d83454f2ec69e20176175ea273970c

It is certainly not my wish to be taken out of context here as a traditionalist favouring regression or promoting an anti-democratic or socialist view.

PNGeans should take development and exploitation of it's resources at it's own pace. Slow down and patch up the 'mistakes' without rushing.

Many of our leader's visions are clouded by blind 'capitalist idealism' or simply greed and that is hurting society.

The motive of the author of any non scientific publication available on the social media defines it's essence.

[Susan Merrell]

Firstly, Don, you quote me out of context. It is PNG and PNGeans who are craving a "thriving democracy" where people receive government services and all the inherent benefits that usually accompany democracy in a functioning nation/state.

I only need read the social media pages to know that. Hospitals, roads, communications - where does tradition provide for those?

PNG, as many modern nation states prior to modernity, was a subsistence culture. Modernism demands that one lets go of some traditions - that's why the world, in general, no longer subsists.

That the political system in PNG does not work except to benefit a few (corrupt) is testament to the fact that PNG indeed needs to find a suitable political system that works. With that, I am in total agreement with you.

You will also find that, even though uniqueness is an attribute that many find desirable, it is only in the minutiae that we, in fact, do differ. Learn by the mistakes of other similar societies - life is too short to make all your own mistakes.

While PNG has one foot in a traditional culture that is at loggerheads with a system that is governing the state - of course things won't work.

As for Belden Namah's apology - well it is often easier to do what the hell you like and apologize later if it didn't work out well than to try to take the correct action in the first place.

He wouldn't have been sorry had he retained power, I bet.

This is immoral pragmatism and would be universally condemned (yes, all human beings have an inherent sense of right and wrong with culture only overlaying its influence on the periphery.)

[Don Tapio]

Thank you Bernard, I also enjoy your writtings here in PNG Attitude. I am not a political scientist, however I enjoy writting about topics of concern in our country.

Political awareness is lacking in most of our elite leaders and contemporaries.

I hope our writtings on issues can help shape thoughts and perceptions about our society from our perspective.

[Bernard Yegiora]

Well written piece. As an aspiring PNG political scientist I agree with what you have mentioned.

From my point of view PNG is a research mecca. There are a lot of unique phenomena that needs to be quantified and studied in detail.

One can no longer use a yard stick used to measure African nations to measure PNG. We are a very complex society and very unique as well.

One case is the public apology by Belden Namah over the August 2 fiasco. He has also planned to host a reconciliation ceremony.

If this trend continues then it will be very hard to make political enemies in PNG politics. Also political alliances will be weak because of the possibility of compromising.

[Jeff Febi]

I have often thought democrary to be a tool used by a few to keep the majority poor working for them for as long as they humanly could!

[Don Tapio]

It is ineveitable that Socialism or it's progeny will be the way of the future. At least it will be when all the natural resources have been depleted.

Capitalist driven globalisation will be the web that is cast over the impoverished third world by the powerful first world countries and dragged in to toe the line to ensure the first world continues to maintain it's fallacy of luxuries.

A bitter pill for believers in capitalism and democracy to swallow as they contend with the startlingly real but foreign concept of being 'poor'.

Dr Mohamed Mahathir alluded to this in his statement on the economic turmoil embroiling the EU nations.

"Europe... has lost a lot of money and therefore you must be poor now relative to the past.

"And in Asia we live within our means. So when we are poor, we live as poor people. I think that is a lesson that Europe can learn from Asia."

More of his speech can be read here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16918000

PNG needs to invest in strenghtening it's Agriculture and livestock and rural-cottage based industries from the money pouring in from it's extractive resources.

This is the true basis of wealth and the cushion a country can lean on when the dread should come to pass.

[Robin Lillicrapp]

Yes indeed; the impetus for the preservation of "democracy" as a desirable principle of governance suffered a setback of sorts at the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Perestroika; the new kid on the block, saw former communist czar Gorbachev running about the world with his new buddy Al Gore articulating a new paradigm involving the apocalypse of global warming etc and the need to adopt a policy of conservation of Earth's resources.

So democracy took a body blow as it's new identity took shape under successive waves of "shock and awe" warfare around the planet that still is going on.

Communism, the former catalyst propelling the spread of competitive ideology a la capitalism and democracy, kind of lost its original flavour as the tide of globalism reared its head to show the world a new pathway toward Sustainability of the species through forming a New World Order.

The accompanying predatory and destructive outcomes are a confusing reminder to cultures everywhere that ethnic distinctions and national boundaries are now being hijacked in favour of reformist agendas aimed at establishing a Fascist-Collectivist control over this world.

I fear we are not always asking our leaders the right questions as we morph into this brave New world.