Wen|Mumu
Editor|Stargazing
The contradictions that arose in the Legislative Council were not effectively resolved. The 1959 personal income tax dispute brought the contradictions of the legislative committee to a head.
In 1959, the government introduced a bill on personal income tax. The bill requires high-income earners to pay a percentage of personal income tax. The introduction of this bill was met with opposition and dissatisfaction from European and PNG members of the Committee.
European members believe that Europeans have made important contributions to the development of Papua New Guinea's cause, and "it is unreasonable for Europeans to pay taxes on the money earned from this development".
PNG members fear that Europeans will be reluctant to stay in PNG and return to Australia or Europe. Haslek simply listened to the objections and grievances, but still submitted the bill to the Legislative Council.
The European members resigned and appealed to the High Court of Australia, which dismissed their appeal and the bill passed.
Following this incident, in order to ensure the impartiality of the Legislative Council, the Trusteeship Government of PNG reformed the Legislative Council and increased the number of non-official members.
In the 1961 reformed Legislative Council, non-official members constituted a majority, consisting of 6 European and 6 Papua New Guinea members, as well as 10 government-appointed members.
At the same time, the Chief Executive Council was established, whose function is to provide advice and suggestions on policies to the Chief Executive, and its members are composed of some members of the Legislative Council.
The non-official members of the Legislative Council represent the private sector and the indigenous population at large.
The increase in the membership of this part means that more Papua New Guineans are participating in the management of the government, and their opinions have gradually had a non-negligible impact on the Papua New Guinea Mandate Government and the Australian Federal Government.
Local government committees were established in 1956 at various localities. All indigenous adults may participate in elections to local government committees.
Local government committees have two main functions: first, to collect taxes and use them to repair roads, build medical posts and classrooms, etc.; The second is to formulate various rules and regulations, such as sanitation and cleaning, horticultural work and livestock raising, local customs, life and death registration, etc.
By 1960, the territory had established 36 local government committees, representing 250,000 people. In order to allow for broad participation of indigenous peoples in government management, town advisory committees and administrative district advisory committees were established at the same time.
The Town Advisory Committee and the Administrative Area Advisory Committee have only the power to make observations and recommendations to the Trust Government on behalf of the indigenous population.
Because of lack of experience and misunderstanding, these committees often lack initiative in the early stages of their work, such as committee members who do not understand their own functions and still rely on local government officials to handle village affairs.
Or they can't handle the taxes effectively, and they can only be used to build roads, or they won't be understood by the villagers. However, as the work of the committee progressed, the villagers gradually understood the work of the committee and voluntarily assumed responsibility for local affairs.
There is a growing desire to set up local government committees to express their views and participate in government management.
The establishment and reform of the Legislative Council and the Local Government Commission provided an opportunity for Aboriginal people to provide input from the Trust Government and expanded their voice.
It provided experience and laid the political foundation for the subsequent struggle of the people of Papua New Guinea for autonomy and independence.
First, the decolonization movement is developing rapidly throughout the world
The colonial system of the capitalist world began with the opening of new shipping routes in the 15th century and formed the Second Industrial Revolution in the 19th century.
By the beginning of the 20th century, capitalist countries controlled most of the world's population and land, and the colonial system of the capitalist world was finally formed.
Since the formation of the colonial system, colonial peoples have waged struggles for liberation and begun the process of decolonization, but most of the struggles have ended in failure.
The Second World War provided colonial peoples with an opportunity for national liberation and national independence.
The capitalist countries suffered heavy losses in World War II, weakened their ability to control the colonies, and the outbreak of World War II also showed that capitalist countries are not absolute makers of civilization.
At the same time, the colonial peoples actively participated in World War II and jointly defeated the fascist countries, and the victory in the war showed that the capitalist countries were not invincible, and brought great confidence to the colonial peoples in defeating the colonial countries and fighting for national liberation.
In that context, decolonization movements had re-emerged worldwide. After World War II, Asia was the first to begin the decolonization movement.
In order to fight for national independence and gain the right to freedom and equality, colonial and semi-colonial peoples, after defeating Japanese fascism, fought against the colonial powers.
Korea was the first to be liberated on August 15, 1945, and the People's Republic of China was established in 1949, with 11 Asian countries declaring their independence.
In the fifties of the twentieth century, the decolonization movement spread around the world, and its centers of movement grew from Asia to the Middle East to Africa and Latin America.
Most of the colonies led the local people in the struggle against the colonial power through violent revolution, and won national liberation and national independence.
After fierce struggles, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Ghana in Africa, and Cuba in Latin America won their independence.
In the 60s and 70s of the 20th century, the world decolonization movement reached its climax, and the number of independent countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America increased, and the independent state system was gradually formed.
In Asia, after World War II, in order to contain the Soviet Union and dominate the world, the United States stepped up its infiltration and control of the Asian region, in an attempt to establish its "puppet regime" in Asia.
In the face of the bad intentions of the United States, the people of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia fought against the United States, defeated the United States, and won national liberation. At the same time, the Arab peoples and emirates of the Middle East were waging a struggle against the colonial Powers.
Kuwait declared independence in 1961, and the Yemen Arab Republic, South Yemen, Bahrain, the Emirate of Akar and seven emirates, including Dubai, became independent.
In Africa, the "Year of Africa" was celebrated in 1960, when 17 independent African States were established, 16 of which joined the United Nations in the same year.
During this period, with the further development of the decolonization movement, British and Portuguese African colonies achieved independence.
In Latin America, anti-American and anti-dictatorship was the focus of the movement, and Cuba, Nicaragua and Panama fought fiercely against the "dictatorship" of the United States, and won the country's independence by revolutionary means.
At the end of the 70s of the 20th century, most of the colonies in Asia, Africa and Latin America won the victory of the national liberation movement and established new independent countries, which marked an absolute victory in the struggle for independence in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
A system of independent states in Asia, Africa and Latin America has been formed. Since then, the Third World, represented by the independent countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America, has entered the international arena and gradually become a force that cannot be ignored in international politics, playing a huge role in the struggle against imperialism, colonialism and hegemony.
It greatly encouraged the colonial peoples to carry out their struggle for national liberation and national independence.
In World War II, the people of Papua New Guinea actively cooperated with the needs of the allied forces of the United States and Australia, and the villagers collected information on the Japanese army, helped the allies carry food and wounded soldiers, and built new roads.
There were even 5,000 Papuans and New Guineans who fought alongside the Allies against the Japanese invasion.
In the process of dealing with the allied forces, the people of Papua New Guinea have learned about new ideas such as equality and freedom while accepting the new things they brought with them such as weapons, machines and other machinery, food and clothing.
After the end of World War II, the world decolonization movement was in full swing, and the movement spread to the Pacific island countries. Under this influence, the national consciousness of the Papua New Guinean people began to awaken, and the sense of political independence was also enlightened.
The United Nations established a decolonization mechanism after the Second World War
After the Second World War, the decolonization movement established a large number of independent countries around the world, completely destroyed the old colonial system, changed the pattern of the world and promoted the progress of human civilization.
In order to ensure the smooth progress of the decolonization movement and protect the equal rights of all peoples of the world, the United Nations established a decolonization mechanism after the Second World War and made great efforts to completely eradicate the colonial system.
It has become an important driving force for the development of decolonization throughout the world. The initial establishment of the decolonization mechanism The issue of decolonization has been of great concern to the United Nations since its inception.
After the Second World War, in order to fully protect the rights of colonial peoples, the United Nations began to establish a decolonization mechanism to help colonial peoples strive for national liberation and national independence.
The Charter of the United Nations was an important basis for the decolonization mechanism, providing it with ideological principles and legal guarantees. The Charter sets out the purposes of the United Nations.
Among them, "to develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples" and "to promote and encourage respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion".
It fully embodies the principles of national equality and self-determination, which has become the ideological weapon of colonial and semi-colonial peoples to oppose imperialism and fight for national liberation.
Chapter XI of the Charter, the Declaration concerning Non-Self-Governing Territories, Chapter XII, the International Trusteeship System, and Chapter XIII, the Trusteeship Council, provided institutional guarantees for the administration of colonies and the struggle of colonial peoples for self-determination.
The Charter divided post-war colonies into two types: Non-Self-Governing Territories and Trust Territories. In the case of Non-Self-Governing Territories, the metropolis is governed by the following responsibilities and obligations.
First, the interests of the territorial people come first; the second is to promote international peace and security; The third is to promote the economic, political, social and educational development of the Territory and to respect its culture.
Fourth, to pay attention to the political aspirations of the people of the territory and help them to self-govern; Fifth, all aspects of the situation in the territory should be communicated to the Secretary-General on time. It follows from this that the metropolis must fully respect the opinions of the local people in the process of ruling the colonies.
Its rule was monitored by the United Nations, which guaranteed the colonies protection from exploitation and violence by the metropolis.
With regard to Trust Territories, the United Nations had developed a comprehensive trusteeship system and established a United Nations Trusteeship Council to oversee the implementation of the trusteeship system. The trusteeship system was intended to make the Trust Territories and peoples progressively self-governing and independent.
In December 1960, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples.
This is an important milestone in the formation of the decolonization mechanism and an important symbol for the United Nations to further promote the decolonization movement worldwide.
The Declaration on Decolonization, divided into seven articles, solemnly declares a swift and unconditional end to colonialism in all its forms worldwide and stipulates that the enslavement, domination and exploitation of other peoples is a violation of human rights and the Charter.
All peoples have the right to self-determination and to determine the path of political, economic and socio-cultural development that they take; Inadequate political, economic, social or educational preparation cannot be used as an excuse to delay independence.
No force can be used against an independent people; Take immediate steps in Trust Territories and Non-Self-Governing Territories or other Territories that have not yet formed independence to transfer all powers in accordance with the wishes of peoples, without distinction as to race, creed or colour.
The Declaration was of great significance to the decolonization movement throughout the world, first, by expanding the scope of decolonization territories, by eliminating the distinction between Non-Self-Governing Territories and Trust Territories and by emphasizing the end of "colonialism in all its forms".
Self-government or independence of all colonies and non-independent Territories had been included in the decolonization efforts of the United Nations.
The second is to provide legal guarantees for the revolutionary armed struggle of the colonies, and the declaration clearly stipulates that the metropolis must not use all force against the independence of the colonies and must respect the exercise of the rights of the colonial people to independence.
If the colonies are faced with the suppression or repressive force from the metropolis, they may fight back in accordance with this Declaration and the Charter, which provides the basis for action in the revolutionary armed struggle of the colonies.
In order to ensure the implementation of the Declaration on Decolonization, in November 1961, the United Nations General Assembly decided to establish the United Nations Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples.
The Committee was the central United Nations body dealing with decolonization, and its main responsibilities included: first, monitoring the implementation of the Declaration on Decolonization.
the second is to provide solutions for territories that are not yet independent or have difficulty in implementing independence; Third, timely reporting to the UN Security Council on events that may endanger international peace and security; Fourth, to dispatch observer missions according to the needs of colonial peoples and provide them with a date of independence.
As the centre of action of the United Nations on decolonization, the Special Committee on Decolonization criticized colonial policies and raised an anti-colonial banner around the world to meet the needs of the colonies' struggle for national independence.
It had provided the colonial peoples with a timetable for independence, actively promoted the decolonization of the colonies, and further improved the United Nations decolonization mechanism.
Through the efforts of the United Nations, decolonization achieved remarkable results in the seventies of the twentieth century.
Between 1957 and 1973, 10 of the original 11 Trust Territories became independent or joined neighbouring countries as new states. In 1977, only 33 Non-Self-Governing Territories remained in the world.
3. The awakening of Papua New Guinea's national consciousness
On December 7, 1941, the Japanese Navy raided the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and the Pacific War began.
The Pacific island countries are located in the tropics, with a hot climate and dense primeval forests, and this combat environment poses great challenges to the US-Australian coalition and Japanese forces, who have to seek the help of the Pacific island people.
As a result, the peoples of the Pacific island nations have joined the war. The war changed the perception of the colonizers among the people of PNG.
Before the war, the people of Papua New Guinea believed that the image of the colonizers was that of conquerors, who were omnipotent and god-like beings. But in this war, the brutal operating environment made the US-Australia coalition rely on the people of Papua New Guinea to fight.
In the process of fighting, the people of Papua New Guinea fought against the Japanese army together with the combined forces of the United States and Australia, which temporarily removed racial and class barriers and made the people of Papua New Guinea realize that the colonizers were not omnipotent, but like them, there were things that could not be defeated.
The Pacific War shattered the image of the colonizers as conquerors, and the national consciousness of the people of Papua New Guinea in pursuit of equality began to awaken in this war. In the 60s of the 20th century, Papua New Guinea established institutions of higher learning, such as the University of Papua New Guinea and the School of Administration.
These institutions of higher learning encourage students to take an interest in political issues, to reflect seriously on the future of PNG and to express their views and opinions on the colonial policies of the Administration.
Higher education has cultivated a group of elite talents with political awareness, independent thinking and daring to criticize colonialism for Papua New Guinea, and national consciousness has been stimulated in the education industry. The development of PNG's national consciousness is more reflected in literature.
Universities advocate that "'civilized' countries produce 'literature' and 'primitive' peoples produce 'folklore'", encouraging students to write creatively in an attempt to awaken the confidence of the people of Papua New Guinea in the Papua New Guinean nation.
Therefore, at the end of the 60s of the 20th century, indigenous intellectuals with higher education used pen as a master and paper as a weapon, creating various forms of literature such as biographies, novels, poetry, and plays.
It praises the village life of Papua New Guinea, attacks colonialism, advocates national autonomy and independence of Papua New Guinea, and expresses the voice of Papua New Guinea's indigenous peoples to the world. In 1968, Albert Maori Kiki published his autobiography, Kiki: 10,000 Years of a Life.
The publication of this book gave the world the first real voice of the indigenous people of Papua New Guinea. This book is regarded as the dawn of Papua New Guinean nationalism and the birth of PNG national literature.
The work mainly describes Kiki's childhood, education and political participation, shows the traditional cultural and social life of Papua New Guinea, denounces colonialism, and advocates political progress and equality of the people of Papua New Guinea.
It had an important influence in literary and political circles. Literature that satirized colonialism and called for national autonomy and independence followed.
In terms of fiction, Vincent Eri's novel "Crocodile" is Papua New Guinea's first novel, which describes the development and change of personal ideas in the process of social conflict between the old and new societies.
It attacked colonialism and colonialism and condemned foreign interference in the political and social development of PNG. Kumarau Tavali's famous poem "Jungle Kanaka is Talking" expresses strong anti-colonial and anti-white sentiment.
Biographies, novels and poems were written in English, but in the sixties and seventies of the 20th century, the level of education in Papua New Guinea had not yet reached the level of universal access.
Therefore, for ordinary people, these literary works are incomprehensible. Compared with biographies, novels and poetry, theatre has had a more profound and widespread impact on the people of PNG.