The Concept of Nation-State:Diversity and Unity is PNG



by CASPER DAMIEN
 
“Papua New Guinea, a land of the unexpected with diverse ethnic cultures with more than 800 different languages and tribal groups and yet one country.”  
 
Nation refers to groups of people, usually but not exclusively, defined geographically. They are people which may trace back to common ancestry and are identified by common language, culture, history and religion. Such groups of peoples have and do claim the rights of political autonomy.
There is a sense or strong feeling of “nationalism”, a political and legal doctrine about the recognition of their political rights. The most important of these rights is the right of ‘self-determination’. This is usually taken as requiring ‘self-government’.  

Nationalism has an ambiguous quality, in that it can be either positive or negative. In the positive it is an expression of cultural diversity, of a desire of a group of people to continue and to develop in a way of their own choosing. In the negative, expresses as a counter-cultural phenomenon, calling upon simplistic, at best, or bigoted, at worst, invariably divisive notions of ethnic and religious identity in order to exclude others.

The pride or patriotism of Nationalism, for which ‘National Socialism’ is the most authentic voice (not that everyone would agree with that), must eventually express itself in conflict with other nations, necessarily seen as inferior. Such friction is often accompanied by campaigns of virulent hatred. For that reason, philosophers such as Hobbes and Kant have traditionally favoured the withering away of the nation-state and the creation of supernatural institutions.

Most colonial peoples such as Papua New Guineans in the pre-independent period began to experience such feelings of resentment and hatred towards the colonial masters. But more so the patriotism of nationalism were evident in the ethnic groups within Papua New Guineans. Because we were not one nation but many nations. Thus, many nationalities. Historically, Papua New Guinea is made up of two different territories. The Territory of German New Guinea and the Territory of British New Guinea or Papua. 

Within the two major divisions there were and still are many ethnic groups or nations. So the nationalistic feelings were not focused on one nation of PNG but rather on these smaller nations consisting of the ethnic groupings followed by the two territories. 

Hence, when we were preparing for independence, such expressions as: “a hebou” and “bung wantaim” were common and spreading right throughout all corners of all tribal groups in an attempt to draw attention to the need for unity of the many nations within the common territorial boundary.
Eventually, on the 16th. September, 1975 the Independent State of Papua New Guinea was born. The Late Prime Minister Gough Whitlam of Australia gave PNG as a nation its independent statehood. Hence, an Independent State of Papua New Guinea composed of over 800 nationalities was recognized as one Independent State of which we are its proud citizens. 

Despite being under one state we still face problems of unity because we naturally belong to our separate ethnic or national groups. These groups are distinguished by languages and cultural variations we have.  We are patriotic about our ethnic nationalities as well as our Independent State of Papua New Guinea. So we have a problem of having a divided patriotism and nationalism.
However, when we consider ourselves as citizens of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, our patriotism focuses on our state which unites us despite being of different nations. In other words, although we are of different nationalities with diversified cultural values, we are united by our common citizenship of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea. 

This is what we mean by “Unity in Diversity”. As a result of the diversities in languages, cultural values and practices, we find it difficult to understand each other’s attitudes and value judgments. However, we do our best to accept each other despite such diversities.  We eventually learn to accept pluralism/relativism, which is accepting others as they are with their unique values, beliefs and practices.

By virtue of independence, PNG has become a “United Tribal Nations” or a state made up of many nations. And this Independent State of Papua New Guinea has: Territorial Boundary” and “Sovereignty” which other states are bound to recognize and respect. This recognition and respect of our sovereignty is a moral requirement.

 Any state or multi-national corporation which shows no respect for our sovereignty violates our international moral right or disregards their international moral obligation. For example, can we say the fast exploitation and extraction of gas and oil, gold and copper, timber and fishing with very little benefit to the people’s welfare and development which is a concern now?  Such violations can be in the forms of economic, political and socio-cultural decisions and activities.

In all, we can evaluate the situation we now find ourselves in and the issues at stake: We have moved from Colonialism to Political Independent State with Sovereignty. But we have also been accompanied by: Economic Dependency; Neo-Colonialism and now our sovereignty is being infringed by multi-national corporations and globalism. 

Sovereignty of any state is at stake. Globalism is now the new concept which is bound to wipe out the concept of state. Just as the Greek City-States and PNG Tribal Nations were replaced by the current states, so will the current states be replaced by Globalism. Asylum Seekers problem is an impact of globalism. Where is our future heading to?

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