{"id":11311,"date":"2024-09-13T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-12T22:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/?p=11311"},"modified":"2024-09-11T15:21:07","modified_gmt":"2024-09-11T05:21:07","slug":"approaching-50-tocqueville-and-democracy-in-papua-new-guinea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/approaching-50-tocqueville-and-democracy-in-papua-new-guinea\/","title":{"rendered":"Approaching 50: Tocqueville and democracy in Papua New Guinea"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/tag\/sean-jacobs\/\">SEAN JACOBS<\/a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As Papua New Guinea (PNG) approaches its 49<sup>th<\/sup> year, I recently found myself reflecting on the state of its democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A scan of its national headlines reveals stark decay \u2013 sickening retributive tribal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2024-07-25\/papua-new-guinea-deaths-tribal-conflict\/104143002\">violence<\/a>, broken <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2022-03-12\/png-headmaster-says-sorcery-fears-behind-teacher-absenteeism\/100860482\">schools<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.postcourier.com.pg\/neglected-provincial-hospital\/\">hospitals<\/a>, stifling <a href=\"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/a-practical-way-to-resolve-papua-new-guineas-electricity-crisis\/\">energy poverty<\/a>, endemic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.transparency.org\/en\/blog\/will-papua-new-guinea-get-serious-about-corruption\">corruption<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet I wanted a wider lens to view the South Pacific nation of 11 million approaching a half century. And here I turned to an unlikely place \u2013 the Frenchman Alexis de Tocqueville and his seminal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com.au\/Democracy-America-Alexis-Tocqueville\/dp\/0226805360\"><em>Democracy in America<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">First published in 1835, Tocqueville\u2019s four volume work is <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/why-read-tocquevilles-democracy-in-america-40802\">seen<\/a> as one of the 19<sup>th<\/sup> century\u2019s most classic political works. Travelling through the United States, Tocqueville was fascinated by what he saw \u2013 \u2018the equality of conditions\u2019, for example, through to a palpable instinct for liberty and citizen respect for laws, and both public and private institutions. Tocqueville was equally fascinated by the simplicity, wisdom and practical outcomes of the American Constitution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I can\u2019t help but wonder \u2013 in the land of hypotheticals \u2013 what Tocqueville would think if undertaking a similar visit through PNG today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">First, he\u2019d likely be surprised \u2013 or perhaps curious \u2013 at the endurance of PNG\u2019s British institutions and Westminster scaffolding. While suffering from \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/documents1.worldbank.org\/curated\/es\/426851468145477761\/pdf\/686490ESW0P11400in0Papua0New0Guinea.pdf\">lack of fit<\/a>\u2019, and clearly addled by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/world\/png-s-tale-of-two-prime-ministers-left-unresolved-idUSDEE7BC08D\/\">questionable performance<\/a>, PNG\u2019s Supreme Court and its unicameral 118-seat national parliament continue to provide an <a href=\"https:\/\/eastasiaforum.org\/2013\/10\/05\/is-pngs-westminster-system-worth-keeping\/\">arrangement<\/a> \u2013 however brittle \u2013 for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pngattitude.com\/2013\/11\/bored-with-old-australian-politics-look-to-papua-new-guinea.html\">managed disagreement<\/a> among PNG\u2019s 1000-plus tribal groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Like some outside <a href=\"https:\/\/crawford.anu.edu.au\/pdf\/staff\/ben_reilly\/breilly3.pdf\">observers<\/a>, Tocqueville would be puzzled why a strong Presidential system has not emerged in PNG. Yet he\u2019d quickly be reminded that consensus or centralised power is hampered by such hyper-pluralism. Here Tocqueville would also likely contrast between American republican impulses \u2013 where \u2018the last trace of hereditary ranks and distinctions has been destroyed\u2019 \u2013 with PNG\u2019s status as a constitutional monarchy, which corresponds \u2013 as in many <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2019-01-09\/countries-in-the-asia-pacific-where-kings-and-queens-still-rule\/10678658\">other<\/a> Asia-Pacific nations \u2013 with domestic concepts of tradition, lineage and continuity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In turn, Tocqueville would likely uncover PNG\u2019s democratic contradiction \u2013 that, despite not delivering a strong central government, decentralisation has not gone well. The powers of its Provincial (State) Governments have been deliberately <a href=\"https:\/\/successfulsocieties.princeton.edu\/sites\/g\/files\/toruqf5601\/files\/Papua%20New%20Guinea%20ToU_1.pdf\">limited<\/a> since independence. And this has been motivated by sound <a href=\"https:\/\/openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au\/server\/api\/core\/bitstreams\/4c4027aa-cd2f-4beb-9198-0df18fff3094\/content\">reasoning<\/a>, given governance capability issues at Provincial and local government level, especially around revenue and financial management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With his \u2018federalist\u2019 hat on, Tocqueville here would further observe another clear practical contrast between modern day PNG and the 19<sup>th<\/sup> century United States. Under the US Constitution, he <a href=\"https:\/\/repositories.lib.utexas.edu\/server\/api\/core\/bitstreams\/6113f0fa-e1cf-438c-9dd6-9401f4df3ce8\/content\">noted<\/a>, \u2018the duties and rights of the federal government were simple and fairly easy to define, because the Union had been formed to respond to a small number of important general needs.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">PNG\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.parliament.gov.pg\/images\/misc\/PNG-CONSTITUTION.pdf\">Constitution<\/a>, at least on paper, offers similar practical responsibilities for the national government. Again, however, little extends by way of localised power to PNG\u2019s provinces. In America, \u2018by contrast, the duties and rights of state governments were manifold and complex, because the states were involved in every detail of social life.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2018Thus state governments remained the rule; the federal government was the exception.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In PNG, however, Tocqueville would awkwardly note: provincial governments are not the rule; national government is exceptionally weak. In exploring such hypotheticals between<em> Democracy in America <\/em>and <em>Democracy in PNG<\/em>, the differences are clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet what are the similarities?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On face value any overlaps may seem slim. Yet there are two in particular that emerge, from which I hope PNG can draw some optimism at this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first is civil society. Tocqueville observed that \u2018Americans of all ages, stations, and dispositions are forever forming associations. There are not only commercial and industrial associations, but a thousand different types \u2013 religious, moral, serious, futile, very general and very limited, immensely large and very minute.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One can see this in PNG, especially in its \u2018very minute\u2019 associations, where community social organisations and other forms of shared interests may be small but are common and widespread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I have seen this in remote villages and islands, whether it be women\u2019s business collectives through to informal tourism networks, and in major centres in the form of advocacy groups and market vendors. While the outcomes of such associations may be challenged due to PNG\u2019s many governance issues, freedom of association remains critically important for Papua New Guineans and, at least currently, works hand in glove with a free press and vocal levels of free speech and dissent. It is therefore essential for PNG\u2019s democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The second similarity is a detectable desire for liberty. As Tocqueville <a href=\"https:\/\/fee.org\/articles\/alexis-de-tocqueville-15-quotes-on-democracy-and-liberty\/\">observed<\/a>, American citizens wanted to \u2018remain their own masters\u2019. Such sentiment is reflected in PNG\u2019s Constitution but, more importantly, on its streets, market places, people movers, villages, boats and its settlements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Such a principle is critical to remember in this month of PNG\u2019s independence. And how important it will be for PNG\u2019s next half-century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"author label wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>AUTHOR<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Sean Jacobs is a Papua New Guinean-born Brisbane-based writer, government relations and public policy specialist, and Industry Fellow at the Griffith Asia Institute.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SEAN JACOBS&nbsp; |&nbsp; As Papua New Guinea (PNG) approaches its 49th year, I recently found myself reflecting on the state of its democracy. A scan of its national headlines reveals stark decay \u2013 sickening retributive tribal violence, broken schools and hospitals, stifling energy poverty, endemic corruption. Yet I wanted a wider lens to view the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":11312,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1170,2064,2153,234,1021],"tags":[2273,1106,969,1050,935,1747],"class_list":["post-11311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary","category-governance-and-diplomacy","category-pacific-outlook-feature-series","category-publication","category-pacific-outlook","tag-alexis-de-tocqueville","tag-democracy","tag-pacific-islands","tag-pacific-outlook","tag-papua-new-guinea","tag-sean-jacobs"],"acf":[],"modified_by":"Jill Moriarty","yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Approaching 50: Tocqueville and democracy in Papua New Guinea | Griffith Asia Insights<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"SEAN JACOBS&nbsp; |&nbsp; As Papua New Guinea (PNG) approaches its 49th year, I recently found myself reflecting on the state of its democracy. 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