Democracy, custom and the Melanesian Way.

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By Susan Merrell This is an article I wrote almost three years ago.  Inspired by a conversation with a learned PNGean, I am republishing – the thesis has not aged although the cast of characters has. Is there a democratic Papua New Guinean nation – or is it merely an arbitrary state built on a shaky, crumbling foundation of disparate traditional customs and the ‘Melanesian Way’? Has the system of government become a hybrid of concepts that fail to work on any level – a bastardization of both democracy and custom? Bernard Narokobi in his book ‘The Melanesian Way’ refused Continue reading Democracy, custom and the Melanesian Way.→

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Blood of your blood: The enemy within

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By PNG Echo There is a humanitarian crisis in the Pacific…well there’s more than one… but it’s not with the plight of the West Papuan people that this article is concerned. This article is about the violence against women in Papua New Guinea. A recent article in the Brisbane Courier (and replicated around Australia) reported many instances of gut-churning abuse in Papua New Guinea where the perpetrators proudly boasted and showed off their brutality – Including the gang on the left. It ended with a video of a young mother who had sought refuge in a ‘safe house’ after the Continue reading Blood of your blood: The enemy within→

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