Papua New Guinea. Thirty seven years on and we are still being treated and treating fellow Papua New Guineans like second-class citizens in our own country. Do you agree? Maybe, maybe not.
A couple of weeks ago I was appalled to hear a non-Papua New Guinean (he had an Australian accent and looked Australian) yelling at a check out girl “You an animal? Do you understand me? Canchya speak English?!” The yelling and the degrading comments continued and as incensed (utterly peed off) as I was – I just didn’t have the courage to stand up and yell back him to “Shut up and speak to her like a human being, It’s you that’s acting like an animal!” I just stood there boiling and boiling AND I did absolutely nothing except shoot him a contemptuous look. The shame of having not done anything sat like acid in my stomach for a long while after that.
Needless to say-I forgot about that incident like I always do, but it was brought afresh to my mind last Friday when I experienced a similar incident but this time it was a Papua New Guinean that was doing the demeaning.
It all began with this movie called ‘Avengers’. My friends had recommended it so I decided after a tough week of work and living life through a keypad and screen what better way to unwind then watch a movie that requires minimum thinking? It sounded like a typical less-advantaged-good-guys trying to defend their home (Earth), its people and its resources from a strong-evil-alien- force.
I arrived at that undisclosed location and went through the security doors in quite a state of excitement. I practically ran to the escalator and as I stepped off, I knew that I still had maybe 20 minutes to kill before the movie actually began. I decided that I would pay for the ticket and then go look for some unhealthy and ridiculously expensive (I know right!? The things we do in the name of entertainment!) pre-cooked food to buy.
As soon as my foot touched the lined metal that signifies the end of every escalator a security guard came up to me with his hand up in what I thought was a greeting for a second before it clicked that he was halting me! *“Nogat! Yu tanim na go bek!” I just stared at him in disbelief so he explained further, *“Yu no nap kam insait inap yu wearim su, mipla no sa larim ol lain wearim slipas kam insait. Yu laik yu ken go na baim su lo tamblo stoa na kam bek!” Initially I didn’t have an issue, I was disappointed but I thought okay fair enough, the management wants to maintain some sort of dress standards that’s their prerogative. UNTIL… about 5 seconds later when the escalator spews up this young Caucasian couple who were dressed pretty similar to how I was, jeans, tee-shirts (although I thought my shirt was funkier than their boring label emblazoned shirts) and HALLELUJAH they were wearing (Haviannas and Quicksilver) thongs. The guard practically saluted and bowed to them before he let them through!
AND that was when I realized that it had nothing at all to do with dress standard but everything to do with colour standard!
I was fuming! You can imagine what happened next; angry, indignant, insulted Papua New Guinean woman and righteous Papua New Guinean man, equals to heated words, spectators and security escorting the angry, indignant insulted Papua New Guinean woman off the premises. The drama dies and THEN everyone goes back to their business and just forgets about that incident.
The irony of the situation only dawned on me today. ‘less-advantaged-good-guys trying to defend their home (Earth), its people and its resources from a strong-evil-alien- force!’
Strong Evil Alien Forces being the operative words! But then again, after more thought I realized that it is not the alien outsiders that are the evil. No! Us ‘insiders’ are constantly letting our fellow Papua New Guineans down by letting them feel inferior to people of other Nationality’s.
Yes our Melanesian culture requires that a visitor be shown courtesy and special treatment. But for goodness sakes you don’t let visitors dictate how things are done, you most certainly don’t let your visitors live for extended periods without making sure they do understand how things are done and you most certainly don't let visitors have more of a say in your home than your family.
There are two sorts of visitors i) the short stay ones (tourists) and ii) the ones that end up living in your home on and off. You do give short stay visitors extra special treatment because their impression of PNG is based on that short stay. However if they are staying for an extended period of time then the same rules, conduct, courtesy should apply as those accorded to members of your family.
Constant special treatment usually ends up in people abusing our Melanesian Courtesy. It happens so frequently that most of us just accept it as a normal thing or let it go. We say that we are proud to be Papua New Guinean and that we are capable of doing things ourselves in our own way YET most of us are guilty of having an inferior complex. We think, "Oh yes that lecturer is American, she will be more intelligent and more informed!" or "Oh yes, she's half British and got her degree in an Australian University, she'll be better qualified for that position" and this one really stinks "Oh yes, she looks 'mixed-race' she has money!".
There are many situations/instances that many of us have a chance to make a point 'yes we are as important, relevant, intelligent, creative and knowledgeable' but because we are trying to tip toe around the whole race issue we just move on. Too many time it seems a persons ‘substance’ is dictated by how light (or non black) someone is. It seems that in this nation (where the majority of us are Melanesians) light colour is the ultimate power!
*Nogat! You tanim na go bek! = No/Stop! Turn around, go back!
* Yu ino nap kam insait inap yu wearim su, mipla no sa larim ol lain wearim slipas na kam insait. Yu laik yu ken go na baim su lo tamblo ol stoa na kam bek = You’re not allowed in without shoes, we don’t allow slippers/thongs here. You can always go downstairs; buy a pair of shoes and return.
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Comments
I know exactly what you mean Claire! Why should we allow
I know exactly what you mean Claire!
Why should we allow ourselves to be treated like second class citizens in our own country!
I had my first experience with a self important dimdim when I was seven, mind you, we were both seven, and at the time in my young mind refused to be put down just cos I was a 'national'.
At the shops, they'll ask you for your bilum whilst the waitmeri walks in with her big bulky leather bag that could easily stash a whole heap of stuff off the shelves.
Mi sa strongim kona na karim bek go insait, mi no stilman so wai ba mi lusim! Pasim eau and walk on!!
Even in the workplace we are subjetcted to less qualified and experienced 'expats' just because they fly in to work from elsewhere.Make a stand, show them you know what you're doing and will not be pushed around.
It is up to us to explain to our family and friends there is nothing different between us and our foreign friends, if anything we should be shown all the courtesies cos yumi ol 'asples'.
Too often we allow ourselves to accept the obvious double standards, it's time we embrace our position - na soim kala blong yumi as citizens of this country.
Thanks so much for posting this! I'm a white Australian who's
Thanks so much for posting this! I'm a white Australian who's been in PNG for a while. It's disgusting how many caucasians will giggle when they talk about being put to the front of a queue, evading a dress code or being given special treatment by security; as though they are getting away with something clever. Especially disgusting when it's people who are here to work in the development industry, ostensibly to "improve things" (whatever that means). When we do that, we're actually participating in an act of racism. By being complicit in that act, we are condoning discrimination based on race and wealth.
This was brought home to me yesterday when, after hundreds of people lined up for 6 hours or more (many unsuccessfully) to vote, a wealthy couple who are not Melanesian (but are PNG citizens) walked straight to the front of the queue and were allowed to put their vote by the poling officials. When a (white) friend questioned them afterwards the best they could come up with was "we don't have time to wait in the queue" (as though the people who lost a day or more's pay, or left their kids at home, or had to find a way to get to the house safely after dark do have time) and "you know how it is..." Yeah, I thought when I heard this story. I know that you're a racist who is feeding and facilitating discriminatory attitudes.
For the record, I always check my bag or bilum at supermarkets, and if I get a funny look from security, I'll say "Hei! Yu tingim ol whiteman i no save stilim ol wanem samting lo stoa?"
Im a white man and have to say whilst I am bemused at the amount
Im a white man and have to say whilst I am bemused at the amount of racism in this country against white people I have to agree with the comments that are written here.
My wife(who is a national)and i often shop at a large complex in waigani, on several occasions when my wife is with me she takes her large handbag into the store as most women would do in many other places.
Yet when a PNg woman is by herslf or with another papua new guinean she gets told to remove her bag and put it in the bag check.
What kind of behaviour is this ....the only thing i dont understand is the fact that it is not us white folks doing the racism but png people against png people.
Thanks Claire. I am an employee of a semi-autonomous government
Thanks Claire. I am an employee of a semi-autonomous government agency. The Management appointed a white general labourer to be Pricipal of its College. The white man f***ked up the college and left for greener pastures only to be replaced with another white man. This white guy also does not posses the rigth qualification to be there and has no prior expereince as well in such similar roles. The Management also appointed another white man to do Performance Appraissal. Upon going through his work, I knew straight away that this guy had no single clue of what he was doing. Furhter investigation revealed that this Consulatnt was a general labourer with Ramu sugar.Only recently, a consultant has being appointed as a Risk Manager. My own investigation revealed that he was a police constable in New Zealand - we are still paying this former police constable with a K3000.00 per day consultancy. After more that a year of his engagement, he has yet to deliver results of the terms of reference required of him.
You see-I am only highlighting cases I have personally experienced. From all this, I am led to believe that even learned PNGans who are in positions of authority are suffering from inferioraty complex. Its about time PNGans think like PNGans. Its about time PNGans realise that things have changed, society has changed, systems have changed and some people who continue to hold dear this yes master - no master mentality has no place in modern Papua New Guinea.