The Bernadette Devlin of Papua

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33398, 3 December 1973, Page 6

The Bernadette Devlin of Papua

(By

RAY BRODIE)

A year ago a tiny, soft-spoken woman of about 30 became the first popularly elected woman to enter the Papua New Guinea House of Representatives. Since then Josephine Abaijah has become something of a Bernadette Devlin.

Her Papua Besena (Papua for the Papuans movement) is a thorn in the flesh of both the House, and the Australian Government. Self-government in internal affairs came at the week-end, and the Australian administration is

pushing vigorously for complete independence for Papua New Guinea at the end of

next year. Josephine Abaijah represents the Central District of Papua. Her fight is for the secession of Papua, the southern section of the country at present ruled by Australia. In her election campaign she emphasised that she would “not become a stooge of the Australian Government in its dangerous exercise of trying to dump Papua as a destitute colony of New Guinea.”

NEW MOVEMENT Today it seems that Papuans think of themselves as Papuans in a way which people of the larger, more diverse New Guinea (United Nations Trusteeship administered by Australia) do not think of themselves as New Guineans. The Papua Besena is a new movement. But what it stands for is not really new.

Abaijah, as she is called, expresses its aims clearly and courageously. Papua has been neglected, she says. She points to vast hydro-electric potential (under study by the Japanese), gold and silver deposits waiting to be developed, exploration for oil, gas, and bauxite. Papua on its own, she asserts, could become the richest land in the South Pacific.

There is a deep mistrust between Papuans and New Guineans. They fear that ■Papua New Guinea will be i dominated by New Guineans. I Michael Somare, Chief MinisIter, is a New Guinean.

Clashes between coastal i Papuans and New Guinea iHighlanders often occur in Ithe capital, Port Moresby. At Bougainville, rich in copper, Mr Somare had to be hoisted up into a helicopter when passions ran high in demands for secession. In August of this year, Miss Abaijah. accompanied by her long-time confidant, Dr E. J. Wright, a Papua New Guinea public servant, and her personal secretary. Miss Kiro ilamo, went to Australia to make an appeal for Papuan freedom.

“DIFFERENT” Interviewed on television by Bruce Webster, she said: “Culturally we are different, socially we are different, and politically we are different. “We are two separate countries — Papuans speak Motu, which is a Melanesian type of language, and New .Guineas speak Pidgin English.” It was while teaching in a i health education institute that she first became aware lof the underdevelopment of iher country. She found that

her community wanted her to talk for them and do things for them. “We want to go it alone,” she said. Is it feasible in today’s economically pressurised world? she was asked.

“You see, I feel that lives at the moment, lives of the Papuan people, are in danger,” she replied. “At the moment the Papuan people are not even allowed to be employed in their own country.' Our girls are stoned every i day that they go to work. Our people are frightened.” When Miss Abaijah spoke to Mr William Morrison, the Australian Minister for External Affairs, he emphasised the necessity for a united government as directed by the United Nations. She said that she would be willing to take a referendum to the Papua New Guinea people and accept the outcome. Mr Somare has challenged i her to look at the problem as a whole. He has agreed that there has been uneven development in the past. But he has offered her a tour of depressed areas and pledged that the Government will channel money into them. Meanwhile, to forestall any trouble, the Pangu Party coalition Government has announced some sweeping internal security plans. This was said to be necessary to meet the threat posed by recent rioting in several areas of the country, including the capital, Port Moresby. Josephine Abaijah has accused the Australian Labour Party of quoting its own fundamental principles while being equally fond of denying these principles to Papuans. But at this stage neither Mr Somare nor the I Australian Prime Minister | (Mr Whitlam) are likely to back down.