Wantok system not all bad, it’s helping to answer poverty issues

Letters

AT the very challenging large scale of Papua New Guinea’s corruption in the systems of politics, economic and development, the term “wantokism” is not known to be associated with corruption but is a way of answering chronic poverty issues.
Practically and in history, wantok system is found within the country’s social structures and networks.
The notion of wantokism has driven deeply down from generation to generation in the multicultural PNG societies and this still has an endemic influence in the adoption of modern ways and development.
Moreover, wantok system is seen as a workable model in PNG ways in addressing the issues of poverty in the country.
As one of PNG’s five National Goals and Directive Principles is ‘Papua New Guinean Ways’ which calls and advocate for the adoption and utilisation of the ways, customs and belief systems of all people in the development spectrum of this beautiful nation.
The concept is greatly at work and embedded in the development course of this nation which must be appreciated as a useful model and social protection networks that protects people from falling into all kinds of poverty.
However, what we need is “equal participation” in the arena of wantok system undertakings.
The idea is relevant to the country’s social structures and so is useful and beneficial to all victims of poverty; thus must be conceptualised and prioritise into the social development policies and laws of this country.
PNG needs to adopt and implement its own structures and styles of development and need to limit this “copy-cat” attitude.
Otherwise, PNG will always fail most of its social welfare/wellbeing goals and besides, poverty will still be escalating than other developing countries.

Fenebe Ibusubu
NCD, Port Moresby