New Ireland Province Autonomy, Not a Bad Idea

TUKUL WALLA KAIKU

Contrary to what we may think, the call for autonomy for New Ireland is not a new one. To date there have been two calls for autonomy for New Ireland, the recent being the call since Sir Julius Chan assumed governorship of the New Ireland Province after the 2007 national elections and an earlier call of the 1960s up to the 1980s.
There was in fact an earlier move for autonomy for New Ireland and in particular for New Hanover Island. That call took place in 1964 and continued up to the 1980s. The people behind it were three quarters of mostly those from the south, east and some parts of the north side of New Hanover Island who in the 1964 elections voted for President Johnson of America.

The people wanted to be heard and understood and they wanted development for New Hanover. The type of development they wanted was that of a technologically innovative and advanced country like the United States and hence they wanted the United States to administer New Hanover where the people would be trained to modernize their home and living standards. As we can appreciate, the Kavieng officials were operating a system; that of a District of a united Territory of Papua New Guinea under the administrative responsibility of Australia and the people of New Hanover were asking for an impossible diplomatic ’gift’. A loggerhead situation saw several years of dispute between the people and the administration which saw the people being imprisoned for refusing to pay head tax to the Lavongai Local Government Council and the administration conducting various explanations and awareness meetings on the island

In a further move for autonomy, in 1966, Catholic priests from the Lovongai Catholic Mission on New Hanover Island brought their adherents together and suggested that the people form an association for themselves to work together and come up with development initiatives for themselves and their island. Most of the voters for President Johnson were keen and so the Tutukuvul Isukal Association was formed. With guidance and help from mostly Father Miller, the Association set up office at Lovongai Village. Board Members made up of renowned village elders were identified, two from each village and their tasks assigned. Then in 1968 Walla Gukguk was elected as President of TIA. At that time he was a ward council member representing Meteranmana a ward consisting of Meteran and Metemana villages. In the meantime, the Lavongai Local Government Council had a non-TIA member President. But in 1972, Walla Gukguk due to a strong TIA membership in the Lavongai Local Government Council got the presidency and in 1974, the TIA members called for the abolition of the Lavongai LG Council, a move that was successful and which threw the united government on the island into disarray

Further moves towards autonomy for New Hanover, included a call by TIA for nil collection of head tax from the people and for the people to plant coconut and cocoa. Membership was not a problem and dues were paid to the association. The result included purchasing of two work boats and the purchasing of what was to be a ‘warehouse’ store in Kavieng and the setting up of a chain of trade stores on the TIA occupied area on New Hanover island similar to the former trade store chain of that by New Ireland Native Society (Corporative) Association or NINSA. Further moves by TIA included the election of Walla Gukguk as Kavieng Open member to the National Parliament in 1977 whereupon in Parliament, he called for Papua New Guinea to adopt the Presidential style system of government. When his calls were not entertained, Walla went back to base and conducted a few demonstrations and cultural activities in the hope that some miraculous supernatural events would bring about change and thereafter went into recluse all the time with others searching for some form of autonomy for New Hanover. What autonomy was TIA looking for? At the height of its glory days, TIA was so popular in its quest for autonomy that its influence spread throughout New Ireland to as far as Lihir Island where Walla is known. TIA held that the resources of New Hanover and New Ireland belong to the people of New Ireland and for the harvesting of those resources; it was a two way thing where the people were to have an equal share of what was to be taken out.

Should the other party refuse the deal, it would have to be off. TIA for instance was for a deal such that of five gold bars from a gold mine; two should be left on the island while three went out for the developer. With regard to the socio-economic state of New Hanover, the people would be into agriculture and Mamirum was the harbor for New Hanover for shipment of goods to external ports outside of New Hanover. A TIA view was that, as long as there was clean and clear water, a good education and health services and a good strong and permanent house to withstand the storm, what more would the people of New Hanover want? A lot of former members of TIA left the association when they saw that TIA ideas were becoming a mixed bag of good ideas as well as cultic ideas. Despite that, most people on New Hanover think fondly of TIA as a good association which had sustainable development with the people in mind.
Today surviving TIA members see themselves as being autonomous of the Papua New Guinea government system and some members do not participate in voting during elections and do not participate in government activities such as village meetings and so on. Despite their indifference, they still get medical treatment and other services from the New Ireland Provincial Administration.
In recent years, TIA assets such as the coconut plantations have been left to deteriorate, there are no trade stores, the boats are no longer around and the trade store in Kavieng no longer belongs to TIA. On the dark side, there is talk that there is an undisclosed substantial amount of money that belongs to TIA which needs to be accessed. In the meantime, most surviving TIA die hard have become Catholics to satisfy some other secret notions from within the TIA information network.

Also Walla Gukguk , long standing president of TIA died in 2004 leaving a weak leadership in the association. Despite that TIA has been quiet but as strong as can be. For instance, in 2007 when a call was made for a meeting on TIA’s stand in relation to mineral exploration interests on the island, TIA elders met with the author at Meteran village to vehemently express their views that, New Hanover was not to be cut up and if it was, it would have to be on condition that a smelting mill be established on the island and proceeds to be for the people and to develop the island. They are also against the idea of getting the New Hanover clans to form Incorporated Land Groups since the territorial areas of land on the island belong to the twelve clans there. Even now TIA elders will do anything to defend New Hanover from being exploited by outsiders. Currently on New Hanover since Walla Gukguk died, there is no strong leadership on the island. The Lavongai Rural LLG is in a state of disarray without a President as a result of a court of disputed return over the presidency of the LLG since 2008. There is also no destiny plan for New Hanover Island. There is no dynamic administrator from within the New Ireland Provincial Administration and on New Hanover Island who can work together with TIA, the Lavongai Rural LLG and the churches on the island. Suffice to say, it is not only TIA which is a silent minority but the whole of New Hanover needs to have a dynamic team of people at Provincial Administration level who understand it and who can translate the dreams once formulated by TIA and other elders of New Hanover to develop the island.

And so, calls for autonomy for NIP are not a new idea. There was an earlier call which was seen as a cargo cult movement and which was not deduced. The New Ireland Provincial Government and Provincial Administration need to think and do more to understand the province and its people for autonomy to be fully realised.

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