Papua New Guinea culture affecting its growth

This article was first published in The National newspaper on November 26, 2007, but its subjects are very relevant as we start off 2009...

By SOLOMON KANTHA

WHEN PNG gained its independence in 1975, there was a lot of optimism that our mineral resource wealth would come to offset the aid dependence and bring about increased growth and development to all sectors of the economy.
PNG’s mineral resources were seen as a reservoir that would catapult the economy forward with higher rates of economic growth, leading to improved standards of living.
The country’s declining social and economic indicators tell us otherwise.
Resource developments did not result in significant improvements even in the lives of those that have resources on their land.
The notion of “development” perhaps has been erroneously equated with having rich natural resources.
East Asian economies have proven that even without an abundance
of natural resources, a country can be economically well-off.
It is therefore important for us to understand that improvements in the well-being of a society and hence the economic success of nations requires small yet crucial intangible factors such the right attitude, values and a culture that spurs growth.
After 32 years of independence, it is fitting to reflect upon some of the crucial factors that underlie our development trajectory.
The economic successes and failures of nations have been attributed to a number of factors including their economic policies, resource endowments, type of political regime, quality of leadership and even the culture of these societies.
Culture is one of the subtle yet crucial issues tied to economic growth and is arguably one of the determinant factors that either impedes or spurs economic growth and development.
How does culture affect the economic growth of countries?
A prominent scholar argues that the success of Confucian societies such as Japan, South Korea and Taiwan can be attributed directly to their cultures.
He argues that:
*Confucian societies universally promote a high level of education;
*Have a desire for accomplishment in various skills (academic and cultural);
*Have a seriousness about tasks, job, family and obligations; and
*Have much less emphasis on advancing individual (selfish) interests.
Another scholar suggests that there are ties between cultural values and economic development and that cultural values help spur growth.
Culture is a system of basic common values that help shape the behaviour of the people in a given society.
It is argued that cultural values significantly shape economic and political institutions and Confucian-influenced economies of East Asia were seen to outperform the rest of the world by a wide margin.
Cultural factors are equally important as economic and political factors in determining economic development.
According to the cultural thesis punctuality, hard work, achievement and “other” individual values are the keys to unlocking the economic potential of poor countries.
Such values can be inculcated through deliberate efforts.
While some of these claims may be disputed when looking at other Confucian societies such as China, they help us understand how the cultural dynamics of a society may affect how the people and political decision-makers behave.
They are also valid in the sense that tribal allegiances, nepotism, and ethnic animosity which is prevalent in tribal and ethnically-diverse societies such as PNG have proven to impact significantly on how institutions function and public officials and political representatives behave which consequently encroaches on the economic performance of a country.
While the tribal societies in PNG have some of the positive attributes such as the communal ownership of land and the ethnic allegiances which creates a form of social capital, the “tribalism”, “regionalism” and “provincialism” that exist among the different groups hinder development.
Tribal allegiance has greatly influenced modern day politics in PNG and tribal fights continue to blight the lives of many.
Perhaps the biggest impact that this process of transition has in PNG’s governance system is the conflict between the traditional and modern institutions, practices and norms which have significantly impacted on contemporary PNG politics.
The strong ethnic allegiances are still deeply rooted and have often led to many unmeritorious appointments to public offices based on ethnicity.
Ethnic cleavages can also have adverse effects on the economic performance of countries and PNG tends to exhibit certain characteristics of this factionalism mainly in terms of appointments to public office.
More so, the big-man system appears to have a significant impact on the role of political leaders as representatives of the people.
Most leaders have taken on the role of a traditional big-man when they assume political office which consequently affects the way they behave as political representatives and carry out their leadership duties and responsibilities.
It is indisputable that our culture is a significant contributory factor to the development enigma in PNG.
That does not mean our traditional cultures are obstacles to growth but rather the evolution of a culture that has unwittingly developed over the years and has become a norm in our society.
This culture is more related to our habits, attitude and everyday practices that have come to form an integral part of our daily lives and have impacted significantly on shaping our society today.
This recent culture can be seen in the lack of respect for fellow citizens evident in an absence of simple courtesy like “excuse me”, “please”, “sorry”, etc, in our day-to-day interaction.
Other examples can be seen in the little regard people in high offices pay to simple security checks at airports and terminals.
When someone is robbed or being attacked there is usually a large number of spectators without anyone stepping in to help the victim.
These are just few examples of this regressive culture.
NCD Governor Powes Parkop recently identified a major regressive habit – betelnut chewing.
It has become so acceptable that the authorities do not haul up anyone who defaces public properties, bus-stops, walkways, roads, buildings and even government offices with betelnut spit.
Betelnut chewing habit affects work ethics, cleanliness, and hygiene and the red stains have become an eye-sore on our streets, roads, airports, shops, markets and office buildings.
Some years ago, Singapore banned chewing gum when it became a problem with proper disposals. Anyone caught doing so faced a fine.
Governor Parkop’s message to rid Port Moresby of the eye-sore betelnut stains and careless spitting habits should be seriously adhered to by all concerned citizens to see changes not only in our capital city’s image but the country in general.
And this should be taken seriously by all citizens in other provinces as well and not just Port Moresby residents.
As we recently celebrated our 32 years of independence, we should pause for a moment and reflect upon our habits, attitudes and behaviour which form a crucial part of development and progress.
It does not require a lot of resources or money to see changes in our society but the right attitude that will generate a culture that spurs growth to see meaningful changes in our society.
It is time we should start having the right attitude in order to see changes in PNG.

Note: The writer holds a Masters degree in political science and is a lecturer in international relations at the University of PNG