2 weeks Ago By Post-Courier Contributor
Papua New Guinea (PNG) is rich in untold historical stories since the arrival of the first people 50,000 year ago from South East Asia. Unfortunately due to the oral method of passing history from generations to generations, the rich history has been lost. But it only needs just one piece of evidence for history to be retold.
And for this story, an old forgotten black and white framed photo hanging lonely on the wall in the renovated but abandoned old House of Assembly in Port Moresby Town is the evidence for this forgotten story to be retold. The House of Assembly established in 1964 was the fore runner for the National Parliament where Members of the Houses of Assembly (now known as Members of Parliament) debated nationhood politics that led to the establishment of the sovereign State of PNG. I don’t know who took that photo on what date, time and month, where it was developed, where it was stored and how that photo was retrieved, framed and hung on the wall.
But the photo got my attention and the more I was staring at it, the photo was yelling to me to tell the world about it. And as they say a photo tells a thousand story, I was mesmerized and lost in time with my mind taking me back to 1969 when that historical photo was taken. The photo was of a well-dressed, neat and tidy politicians who were also lean and physically fit.
They carried their own baggage which in these days, support staffs carry politicians baggage’s. My curiosity and admiration of the photo prompted me to read the caption below the photo. And the caption read “Paulus Arek Member for Ijivitari Open Northern Province with John Maneke Member for Talasea Open West New Britain at Canberra Airport (Australia), 1969.
They were on their way home (PNG) after visiting the newly independent African nations of Liberia, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda and Mauritius to gather information about government systems. They had also visited the United Nations in New York, United States of America”. My curiosity took hold of me and not satisfied on the brief caption, I decided to do further research on the back ground of the photo to get more in depth information.
And the research opened up a gold mine of hidden rich heritage of the historical political development of PNG. In fact their tour played a part in PNG producing our own unique National Constitution that led to the United Nation granting PNG Independence in 16th September 1975. A Sovereign State made up of over 800 different cultural groups united as one Nation of PNG.
The two Politicians were touring these countries for over two months as part of the preparation of PNG to become an Independent State. At that time PNG was as a colony and a territory of Australia. She was then known as the Territory of Papua and New Guinea.
And the Decolonization Committee of the United Nation had instructed the Australian Colonial Administration to prepare PNG to become Independent. You see there were many political developments in our country since the British Empire annexed Papua in 1885 and German Empire annexed New Guinea in 1884. And as part of the development that finally lead us getting Independence , Talasea MP John Maneke and Ijivitari MP Paulus Arek were instructed by the Australian Administration in 1969 to go to these African countries to see their progress after getting independence from their European colonizers.
They were instructed to file a report after their tour so that their report will help develop PNG’s Constitution. After all a nation must have a constitution before the UN grated that nation independence. But the two saw that these countries experienced bloodsheds like military coup, ethnic clashes, genocide and so on because the colonizers drew up their National Constitution.
After returning from their tour, they tabled their report in the House of Assembly. And the Members of the House of Assembly debated that PNG’s National Constitution will be home grown and will be drawn up to embrace over 800 cultural groups’ customs and tradition to come under one National Constitution. PNG must avoid problems faced in those African Nations.
And so In June 1972 the House of Assembly passed the motion to form the National Constitution Planning Committee (SEE TABLE). And these Members were; And from May 1973 to August 1973 they went throughout the territory to do awareness and get people’s view to come up with the National Constitution. Mind you I’m saying territory because we were not a nation yet and still under Australian administration.
After touring the territory, they again went to these African nations that Maneke and Arek had toured. They also toured Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). And just like Maneke and Arek had witnessed in 1969, they didn’t want that to happen in PNG also.
Sadly, Paulus Arek didn’t live long to see his effort in PNG becoming an independent state. He was 44 when he prematurely passed away in November 1973 from kidney failure due to alcoholism. Maneke lived to be 85 years old and died in 2006 from old age after witnessing PNG becoming a sovereign state.
Other members of the committee also have passed on from old age after enjoying the freedom they had played a part to get during their prime and may their soul rest in eternal peace. Only John Momis, Tony Ila and John Kaputin are still with us..
