Gradual change needed
MALE dominance has been a norm in our societies since time immemorial.
It has been engrafted in our culture and accepted to be seen as it is without criticisms from our womenfolk.
It has not been seen as gender inequality hence that is just that women possessed special skills in other areas which differs from their counterpart.
Women play their role and men theirs. And that is our harmonised society back then.
Thereafter, the introduction of Western system posed as an eye opener to the injustice our society was entangled in, especially in the eyes of the Westerners.
The rushed adoption of laws and impromptu declaring of independence forced an unprepared society to immediately conform to foreign culture.
In a short space of time with unlimited flow of traffic carrying unwavering changes into the society is too much for our people.
Almost all of our customary practices has been rendered void and inhumane by these foreign laws.
Our society was put to the world limelight for the first time and was measured against the so called modern standard of living.
One cannot expect people that are deeply rooted in their culture to forthwith adapt to a new norm.
It needs time to slowly get people to adapt to a new culture, merely not within the eleventh hour.
The result of the fast changes made to our culture and coercion applied to adhere to the adopted system resulted in such chaotic and confused society we are in now.
How can one fly an airplane without first going through education and training?
It needs time to better your craft.
Similarly, it needs time and advocacy to all, not few, individuals to adopt to these new waves of culture without being rammed upon.
On that note, 80 per cent and so of us being still uneducated and still trying to blend in with both cultures results in this confused posit.
Being a society filled with rituals and art of our own is quite adverse to these alien changes. In other words, the embedded norm pertaining to man still rebels against this new adopted political system where women are seen to be equal to men that gives them freedom to do things, sometimes unacceptable and inappropriate to our culture.
Being protected by this laws, women take advantage and tend to go beyond their accepted boundaries. We lost our identity by trying to style in with other people’s fashion, but look where it got us?
Confused and in chaos.
It is okay, we cannot change what we are not aware of, but once we are aware, we cannot help but change.
Wake up and change, PNG!
Ezron Ulach,
UPNG
3 comments
A good letter Ezron.
How do matrilineal communities fit into the patriarchy you described? Are some anomaly from another culture?
Right from day 1 after Sept 1975 (or prior Self-Govt) there were then elites of PNG who seized the reins and it appears that their base human greed overcame inherited and traditional communal wellbeing which we are told was the backbone of pre-colonial PNG society. Or was the traditional ‘Big-Man’ always greedy for power and wealth.
I believe what Ezron is saying is true. A laid back, simple, humble traditional PNG society was not prepared for all the fast paced changes introduced by the Western culture. In the pre independence traditional PNG society, our “Big Men” were always people oriented. They were humble. They shared what they had with the
needy. They never thought of themselves. They had true leadership qualities that were truly admired. They possessed a lot of wisdom, understanding and tact. But today, it is totally the opposite. People are highly educated but they lack the necessary qualities described above to make a true leader. Modern crop of elite are selfish, hence, lots of corruption. It’s the difference between Education and Intelligence. One can be very highly educated but if he/she lacks intelligence, tact, wisdom, etc, one can always remain an educated fool. People can be lowly educated but if they posses qualities like intelligence, humility, wisdom, tact, etc, they can and will always reach for the highest. Our educated lot will have to do some critical analysis of ourselves and see where we stand for the communal good of our country.
Qualification does not mean Intelligence. One can posses more knowledge and still does not know how to use it appropriately to add value to life. Intelligence is the Attitude of the Mind. It has nothing to do with talents,skills,method etc… However it is the difference between what is right and what is wrong. let me put it this way, intelligence is wisdom or knowledge understood applied
So go after “wisdom” and become intelligent.
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