SINCLAIRE SOLOMON writes about Sir Joseph Nombri’s early contribution to an emerging public service and the Pangu Pati

CHIMBU Chief Sir Joseph Kaal Nombri (1940-2008) is being laid to rest in Chimbu province this week.
He died in Port Moresby, among his family members at their Gordons home, after a long battle with cancer.
Sir Joseph went out of this world quietly, just like he did when he quietly entered, and impacted on the lives of many aspiring Papua New Guinea leaders and public servants in the 1960s when the territories of Papua and New Guinea were moving towards self-government and Independence.
Many have long gone but others are still around, notably Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare, and former politicians Sir Barry Holloway and Jerry Nalau who attended Sir Joseph’s funeral service at St Joseph’s Catholic Cathedral on Monday this week.
To Prime Minister Somare, who paid tribute at the funeral service, Sir Joseph was “a school friend, brother, classmate”. Above all Sir Joseph was a “true nationalist” who as a kiap in the early 1970s convinced many uneducated Papua New Guineans, especially Highlanders, during his many patrols into remote areas that they must trust Somare (then Chief Minister) to lead them to independence.
He was the leader of a handful of Highlands students who, with Somare and company, graduated from Sogeri High School in the 1950s with a Higher School Certificate (today’s Grade 12). In the 1950s, all Highlanders were “Chimbus”.
Their association continued into the 1960s when winds of changes blew stronger for independence from Australia.
On Jan 23, 1967, both were members of a “Group of 13” which wrote to John Guise who was then chairman of the select committee on constitutional development seeking amendments to an earlier submission – a road map on which path to follow towards self-rule and eventual independence.
Nombri was then a student at the Administrative College and also the president of Territory Students’ Federation.
Others in the Group of 13 (G13) were Albert Maori Kiki, Oala Oala-Rarua (president, Workers Association, Port Moresby), Elliott Elijah (training officer, Department of Trade and Industry Co-operative Centre), Sinaka Goava (student, Administrative College), Kwamala Kalo (student, Administrative College), Ebia Olewale (education officer), Ilomo Batton (doctor based in Daru), Gerai Asiba (student patrol officer), Reuben Taureka (acting assistant director, medical services), and Penu Anakapu (student, Administrative College) and Cecil Abel who appeared to be the leader.
The original submission and the following amended version were detailed covering home rule, to cabinet, to ministers to the public service.
The future role of locals in the public service take up a big part of the submission and can be attributed to Nombri’s contribution because after Independence he was rewarded for his contribution with appointment to several senior public service commission positions including Public Service Commissioner.
It was during his tenure that most middle managers were sent to the Administrative College for higher qualifications to complete the Somare Government’s localisation processes, or to qualify for university studies and take up departmental head positions.
The G13 pushed that replacement of expatriate officers “must be carried out with vigour and determination.”
“Advancement of local officers also depends on the appointment of a Public Service Board to replace the present Public Service Commissioner. This will mean an amendment to the Public Service Ordinance so that local officers who are of mature age and experience, but lack present rigid academic qualifications, may be promoted to senior positions,” they said in their submission.
“It is unreasonable to force a public service system on to this country which may suit Australia but certainly does not suit us at this stage of our development. It took Australia 60 to 80 years to develop this system and there are now thousands of educated people offering to enter the public service. We only have a few. It is wrong to exclude a man who has other good qualifications but has not had the chance to pass certain examinations. These hard barriers to advancement must be removed by a new Public Service Ordinance.”
Nombri and colleagues were also aware of insecurity causing the plight of many good Australian public servants “who like us and who like our country”. They told the Guise committee that PNG could not afford to “lose some of our best man who want to do a worthwhile job and who are certainly not afraid of self-government” and blamed the Australian Administration who “may think it can because it would readily replace a good permanent officer who has had years of experience, by a new contract officer, a green recruit, who can give little and may even be a liability.”
Despite the group’s good intention there were vigorous opposition from the Australian Department of Territories and among PNG leaders, as evident in Australian Government documents compiled in the book, Australia and Papua New Guinea 1966-1969, released last year.
In the book, Administrator David Hay noted in a March 1967 memo to Canberra: The group giving evidence are in no sense leaders and represent their own views and possibly those of a section of the Tertiary student population in Port Moresby.
Highlands politician Tei Abal said people making the submission wanted to go too quickly. “They wanted to go like a rocket to the moon.”
Abal said he and “the Western Highlanders in general strongly opposed to all this hurry-up talk about self government.” (Enga was then part of Western Highlands)
Motuan leader Toua Kapena of Port Moresby local government council also disagreed with the group’s presentation, saying he and his councillors do not understand council procedures and that the people “would be unable to cope at this stage with the more complicated business of the House.
IT WAS against this uncertain backdrop that Nombri the disciple, Jerry Nalua and the G13 spread throughout the country in the end of the 1960s and early 1970s to spread their gospel that we are indeed capable of self-governing our affairs.
Nombri was of interest to the colonial administration on two other occasions, according to the book.
The first related to the G13, when it was known as the Group of 10 which had submitted the earlier road map towards self-government and Independence.
The second related to a more radical action by budding local politicians and fellow public servants when they conducted a protest march from Ela Beach to Government House at Konedobu in June 1967 to protest against the Australian arbiter’s decision on salaries for local public servants handed down by the arbiter days earlier which “shocked and appalled” the likes of Nombri.
But it was an orderly demonstration. The planned demonstration grabbed headlines when a Highlands Member of the House of Assembly expatriate Ian Downs suggested that Robert (Bob Hawke), then ACTU industrial advocate, had organised the march, a claim which Hawke vigorously denied.
Hawke had been engaged by PSA in Port Moresby to fight for improved conditions of public servants including locals.
The protest leaders were identified as Nombri, Oala Oala-Rarua, Albert Maori Kiki and on teachers representative. Reuben Taureka did not participate but it was Oala-Rarua who presented the petition to Hay before the demonstrators dispersed.
Not many local politicians supported the protest, opting instead to support the “Administration and myself,” as Administrator Hay observed in a telex message to Canberra on June 6, 1967.
“Australia and Papua New Guinea 1966-1969” had this to say: A group of MHA’s including Simogen, Brokam, Toliman, Tabua, Wegra Kenu, assembled at my office in order, as they put it, to emphasise their support of the Administration and myself personally. They said they strongly disapproved of the march and of the fact that it was directed to the Administration.”
The same month, the Group of 13, who now referred to themselves as the home rule group joined forces with nine Members of the House of Assembly to form the Pangu Pati.
An interim central executive was formed: Nombri was a rotating chairman with Somare and Oala-Rarua; Maori Kiki was secretary/treasurer; and members were Epel Tito, Gavera Rea, Cromwell Burau, Cecil Abel, Ebia Olewale, Thomas Tobaining and Vin Tobaining.
Again Nombri would have played a part in the public service component of Pangu Pati’s policies, aims and objectives. Among other things, Pangu believed in more emphasis on training of local officers on the job and in all training institutions; supported the scale of salaries of local officers as put forward by the PSA; wanted a public service board to replace the Public Service Commissioner; and hanging on to professional overseas officers whose services are needed to shape a newly independent PNG.
What Nombri and G13 may not have known in June 1967 was the flurry exchange of correspondence between Konedobu and Canberra about the legality of local public servants becoming members of a political party.
In Canberra, according to the book, questions were being asked about the legality of public servants holding membership of or office in a political party, and raising the point that there was nothing in the Territory Public Service Ordinance and regulations stopping either.
In June 19, 1967, the Department of Territories replied officially that there were “no legal or other restrictions” on such activities in the Australian public service in PNG, according to the book.
From here on it was Pangu Pati that came to dominate PNG politics, leading the country to Independence in 1975. Nombri and Pangu went their separate ways after Independence but stayed in touch – Nombri into the public service and most of the home rule group followed Michael Thomas Somare to the House of Assembly to fight for independence.
After various roles in the public service, Nombri was appointed Ambassador to Japan in 1980 becoming PNG’s longest serving diplomat. His notable achievements included securing Japanese funding for Jacksons Airport and Tokua Airport redevelopment, and hospital improvements including Kundiawa hospital. In his capacity as ambassador to China he was deeply involved in securing Chinese funding for the 1991 SP Games sports complex in Port Moresby and Lae.
He quit the diplomatic service in 1991 to seek a political career but was unsuccessful in his quest to represent Chimbu regional because he had been away from home for too long.
He turned to business but as daughter Esther said in her eulogy this week: “He was an excellent kiap, but not a very good businessman.” The businessman folded soon after.
Sir Joseph then turned to his remaining political cronies several years ago, hoping that they would give him one last go at public office when he nominated for the governor-general’s post but the old guards were outnumbered in Parliament and he did not make it past the first round of votes.
In his last years, he led a quiet life with a handful of friends, and with a beer in hand and a Mutrus dangling from the side of his mouth talking about the good old days at his beloved Cherry Tree Club. He was truly
Chimbu, or Simbu province, unlike other Highlands provinces, does not have natural resources like oil, gas and gold to boast about. But, as former politician John Nilkare said in tribute this week, its plentiful resource was its people which it gave willingly to the service of the country, and Nombri laid the groundwork for this path those many years ago.
Behind that trademark long, fierce looking, and somethings unkempt, Highlands “maus gras” was the face of one of great guy, “wanpela gutpela man,” says Somare.
Sir Joseph, Rest in Peace

 

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