MARTYN NAMORONG
MY article last week on the negative mindset of many Papua New Guineans has received a wonderful response from readers – 139 ‘likes’ so far and a great discussion.
I admire the resilience and can do spirit of people like Elizabeth Dumu and Daniel Ipan Kumbon, who responded to the piece, and I wish more Papua New Guineans had the kind of resilience and positive outlook to life. I want to repeat some of their words here.
Daniel wrote:
I built a trade store in my village - it was burnt down in a tribal fight. I built a cow paddock in my village - the cows were shot dead by Mt Hagen Riot Squad police who went to stop the fight.
I bought two brand new PMV buses and left them to my wantoks to run them while I went on overseas study trips. I came back to find them run down.
Now, I am contemplating on building a guest house and cultural centre in Kandep hoping to run it in retirement. But if in the event that it gets destroyed like it happened to my other property, I will begin to doubt if there is ever going to be a future at all for my village, Kandep, Enga and PNG.
But I will be content I tried to do my part to bring changes to my village and province.
Elizabeth wrote:
I have suffered violence of sorts, structural as well as unstructured. I did not choose to be a female child from a second wife of a subsistence farming family in a patrilineal society, it happened to me.
I did not choose to be the eldest amongst 11 siblings. It happened to me. I did not choose to look attractive to that old IT manager who thought he could easily get away with trying to sexually abuse me. It happened to me.
I live in an area of Morata where water and sewerage are now completely cut off. Eda Ranu and NCDC did it. It happened to me.
However, in all those situations I chose to respond differently. Although I am a female child from a second wife of a subsistence farming family in a patrilineal society, I chose to pursue education. Being the eldest child among 11 siblings from two mothers, I chose to help all my younger siblings to go to school. Although an attempt was made by some sick old man from Sri Lanka, I chose not to give in. Although there is no water to my house in Morata, I choose not to do an illegal water connection.
We can choose to be different regardless of what has 'happened' to us. You did, I did, and others have. The real problem with majority of the other Papua New Guineans is we give excuses. Our generation needs an awakening to stop and take a journey of self-discovery. We need to look within as therein lies the answer. And you said well, it is all in the head.
At the risk of oversimplifying the scenario, I'd say there seems to be two mindsets. The Papua New Guineans who are making a difference in their personal lives and community look at the opportunities that exist and harness them. We need more of this in PNG
Then there are the ‘real experts’ at identifying what the problems are and whose fault it is and how inadequate and pathetic things without thinking of how they can solve the issues.
Paul Oates wrote that leadership is lacking, and there is no doubt about that. Everyone is expecting someone to lead and those who step up usually do out of self-interest.
Self-interest need not necessarily be bad. For instance, if I am a farmer struggling to access markets due to bad roads, it is in my own interest to mobilise communities to maintain roads and improve drainage so roads get dry quickly and don't deteriorate.
But that kind of leadership, which cascades into the general interest, is only possible if people have faith in themselves and what they can do.
Most often talk of leadership brings up images of politicians but we all know many politicians do not provide leadership.
Our ethnic diversity indeed can inhibit cooperation amongst people of different cultural backgrounds. Culture and ethnicity in that sense become structures of violence preventing progress and creating problems.
But rather than dwell on how diversity is an obstacle, I'd rather focus on how it is a non-issue in a sense because the guys I call ‘bro’ are from all around PNG and their cultural or ethnic background doesn't prevent me from working with them.
It’s about having a can do mindset instead of lingering on issues and problems and what can’t be done.
Mathias Kin wrote an insightful piece on elections and the way they are manipulated. I for one don’t believe at elections, or democracy for that matter, are the answer.
Money buys votes even if you don’t bribe voters because, as Mathias highlighted, money is needed for campaign material and logistics.
That is why I think people should not wait for politicians or the electoral cycle to provide solutions.
If they are frustrated or angry, no one needs to teach them to strike a match.
I'd prefer that communities organise to address their own issues.