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I COMMEND New Ireland Governor Sir Julius Chan and his administration for the thoughtful initiative towards the creation of the Council of Elders (Feb 27). Personally, I think that the legitimacy and influence of honourable traditional elders and leaders at the community level is one contribution in maintaining cohesiveness in our communities. New Ireland province is known for its law-abiding citizens partly because of the role of traditional leadership at the level of the community. However, I query the selection and appointment process in such initiatives. If they are part of the informal system of the provincial government, what obvious and transparent processes of putting these leaders in the public trust have been followed? Are there check and balances to the powers of such leaders relative to their proposed responsibilities? I mention this based on lessons learnt from previous initiatives by other political leaders in NIP. In most instances, the appointment of so-called traditional leaders was based on political affiliations that traditional leaders had with these national leaders. This process in itself was a mockery of the legitimacy of the purported traditional leadership titles and in most instances, their influence never even went beyond their own egoistic selves. I also strongly suggest that women leaders be included - preferably a women counterpart of the Council of Elders. The mindset of a male-dominated national political system of PNG has effectively infused the whole political structure of PNG. And NIP is no exception. Too often the men dictate the terms in NIP - even though we profess to be a matrilineal society. Can women elders also be considered by Sir J in the context of NIP's cultural identity and our need to preserve our identity and educate our younger generations about the importance of women leadership in NIP? If the Republic of Palau in Micronesia can have matrilinealism entrenched in its modern political system, I don't know why NIP has not hitherto managed to. Patrick Kaiku , University of Hawaii |
LETTERS
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