Canberra, 18 February 1969
National unity
Your 1–1–63 of 4th January, 1969 refers.1 Your assessment that the secessionist movement centred in Rabaul should not be taken too seriously is noted. Your view that the situation in Bougainville will be more difficult to handle is also agreed. You make no mention of possible moves for secession of other parts of the Territory e.g. the Sepik as suggested at the last meeting of the House of Assembly.2
2. The general lack of national identity among the people of the Territory could lead to very serious problems in the future both for the Territory and Australia. This seems most likely to arise in areas where economic development has taken place so that a particular area of the Territory can see a financial advantage in going it alone.
3. Apart from the economic and financial implications of secession you have mentioned any dismemberment of the Territory could increase the possibility of instability and political influence from outside. It was for these reasons that the Department’s memorandum of 19th November, 1968 concluded that it was necessary to work out a total programme for the encouragement of national unity.3 The propaganda aspects of this programme should, it is suggested, be covert and operate in accordance with approved principles of mass psychology.
4. In order to supplement your programme in Bougainville the attached paper seeks to define the objectives on a Territory wide basis and to suggest practical ways of advancing them in keeping with the Minister’s views. The Minister agrees generally with the proposals in the paper and would like them worked up into a firm programme for his consideration as soon as possible. Your comments and any additional steps you propose would be appreciated so that a submission may be put to the Minister during February.4
5. An important element where the expenditure of public funds is concerned is to balance any additional costs against the threat to national unity, for example it would probably have been better if we had decided to place the University at Lae when the House moved Hitech there.
6. Similarly the Minister does not accept that the House of Assembly must necessarily remain at Port Moresby. That there would be administrative inconvenience and some increase in costs if the House were moved to Lae is appreciated but this has to be weighed against the advantages in the interests of national unity and in removing the House from political pressures peculiar to Port Moresby.
7. To some extent present problems seem to be centred upon the fact that too much activity and expenditure is centred upon the Administration, the House of Assembly, the Supreme Court and the University all being in Port Moresby. This is illustrated by the criticism in the Wooten/Osbome Report5 on the Supreme Court Building of the practice of adjourning cases to Port Moresby for legal argument. What seems to be needed both in planning and in propaganda is a general emphasis on decentralisation and on bringing the administration to the people.
Attachment
PAPUA AND NEW GUINEA ILLUSTRATIVE PROGRAMME FOR INCREASING NATIONAL UNITY
Note: This paper is merely illustrative and is not to be taken as expressing the views of the Department.
Objectives
(i) To break down local prejudices and suspicions, and build up mutual trust and respect among peoples of Territory.
(ii) To lead to identification by people with Territory as whole as well as with local groups.
Basic principles
(i) Concentrate on areas where wish for secession strongest.
(ii) Understand and sympathise with motives, aspirations and resentments of people.
(iii) Give plenty of opportunity for discussion and participation before change and when decisions to be taken.
(iv) Fit in where possible with existing cultural patterns.
(v) Identify and sustain supporters of Administration.
(vi) Encourage use of legitimate political processes.
(vii) Observe principles of effective communication—
- stress what people want to hear as far as possible
- give message in as many forms and through as many media as possible
- try for participation in communications rather than passive reception of message
- direct message at opinion leaders
- give well chosen facts rather than opinions and assertions—aim should be what appears to be objective assessment
- use local rather than distant media where possible.
| A. Draft Programme for Immediate Implementation | B. Application of Basic Principles |
|---|---|
| (i) Create Senior D.D.A. position in charge of New Guinea—give them small specialist staff and wide delegated powers to act for Administrator (? an AssistantAdministrator)—increase delegations to D.C.’s generally and particularly to those at, for example, Bougainville and Wewak. | Would demonstrate that Administration has active concern for grievances of outlying areas—this was specifically recommended by U.N.Visiting Mission. |
| (ii) Announce and implement polcy of decentralising some Government institutions in areas outside Moresby, e.g. Supreme Court should either move its H.Q. out of Port Moresby or move some Judges out. | Would demonstrate that Administration has active concern for grievances of outlying areas. |
| (iii) Create new legislative House of Review with regional bases elected indirectly {from} local government bodies—precede creation by full discussion of issues in House of Assembly and country at large. | Would provide legitimate means of expressing regional attitudes—would be means of getting discussion of national unity issues. |
| (iv) Announce and implement policy of holding meetings of AEC and committees of House in centres other than Moresby. | Already being done by Administration. |
| (vi)6 Support creation of Select Committee to look into flag, crest, anthem and common name—make it clear by Ministerial statement that Australian Government has no objection to these symbols of unity provided they are expression of wishes of people—arrange discussion of issue through mass media, making use of UN position. | Approved policy for last meeting of House of Assembly. |
| (vii) Give priority to selected Works projects out of Port Moresby, the early completion of which could help cause of national unity, e.g., roads connecting different cultural areas, national institutions where students and people of all areas work together—care would have to be taken to avoid embarrassing comparisons being made of expenditure in various districts. | Could break down suspicion of Central Government. |
| (viii) Encourage private organisations to organise on Territory wide basis and hold annual meetings on lines similar to Government–sponsored activities in Local Government and co-operative fields—but resist attempts to get Administration financial assistance and temptation to organise Territory-wide activities before individual organisations soundly based. | Would help break down suspicion, demonstrate worth of united action and encourage debate and participation. |
| (ix) Hold seminars for opinion leaders from all parts of Territory—to discuss important issues bearing on national unity. | Would break down local prejudices and suspicions and reveal regional attitudes. |
| (x) Rename DIES radio ‘Papua and New Guinea Broadcasting Unit’—use title in all broadcasts but retain local identification as well. | Could help identification with Territory. |
| (xi) Where necessary strengthen DlES organisation in both quantity and quality of staff—this to be given high priority. | Would provide effective instrument for propaganda campaign. |
| (xii) Mount propaganda campaign to bring home advantages of unity and co-operation and dangers of fragmentation—campaign should observe principles of effective communication—concentrate on facts—benefits that have resulted from Administrative Union, examples of valuable co-operation, dangers of fragmentation and weaknesses of federation. Method should be to give maximum participation—panel discussion on radio between opinion leaders, letters to editor, more use of radio recording teams, etc.,—people should be encouraged to participate in political processes by writing to newspapers and Members of House—use should be made of apparently neutral agencies—Reserve Bank, U.N., etc. | Would provide means of participation and discussion, increase knowledge of aspirations, resentments, etc., and help identification with Territory as a whole. |
| (xiii) Put greater emphasis on value of co-operation and unity in social studies curricula for scnools and tertiary institutions. | Would help break down barriers and cause identification with Territory among younger generation. |
| (xiv)Enlist help ofMissions by putting to them the great social dangers of divisiveness—have subject discussed at Mission/ Administration conferences. Withhold subsidies to Missions which do not support basic Administration policies or which do not control their own Members (as with R.C. Mission in Bougainville). | Could be another avenue for putting message and would be means of having issues discussed. |
| (xv) Encourage sporting organisations to send teams representing Territory to tour Australia and elsewhere—but resist attempt to get Administration financial assistance. | Could help identification with and pride in Territory—organisation necessary to do this would involve useful co-operation between various parts of Territory |
| (xvi) Establish and subsidise Papua and New Guinea Dance Company—to perform most colourful dances of Territory. | Could help identification with and pride in Territory. |
| (xvii) Establish a National Militia at village level (under Police & not P.I.R. control) | To broaden the unifying effect of the Police & P.I.R. |
[NAA: A452, 1971/2197]
1 Document 250.
2 Lus—reportedly on Pangu instructions—had warned the House that the Sepik might secede if not accorded more attention in development (MIS no. 12/68, NAA: A1838, 936/3/15 part 5). Momei Pangial had also suggested that ‘If we start breaking up the country then we could have, for example, four divisions—the Highlands, the Sepik, Manus Island and the part where I come from, the Southern Highlands. This would be ridiculous’ ( House of Assembly debates , 21 November 1968, Nq. 328.952 PAP, p. 621).
3 See Document 242.
4 A submission of this nature has not been found.
5 Not printed.
6 Sub-paragraph (v) does not exist in the original.