Lessons on hyper-diversity from the people of Papua New Guinea
There are so many crises raging around the world that you can ask why I have chosen to bring the one in Papua New Guinea (PNG) to your attention this fortnight. So let me tell you the reason upfront: It is an example of why hyper-diverse societies can end up in deep trouble unless they develop the necessary social capital needed to govern themselves. The post-colonial state was carved out of an arbitrary chunk of the Melanesian archipelago (the region comprising the easternmost stretches of Indonesia and islands northeast of Australia).
Its claim to fame is that it has the most diverse population on the planet, with over 850 languages and thousands of bands and tribes, in a population of over 10 million living in a country the size of Maharashtra and Gujarat combined. PNG is reeling from the after-effects of a volcanic eruption, urban riots, inter-tribal violence, fuel shortages, foreign exchange problems, an impending secession and ongoing parliamentary machinations to replace the prime minister. Its police force, which went on strike last month over a wage dispute, is too small to pacify warring tribes.
Few criminals are arrested and incarceration rates are low, allowing them to operate with impunity. Geopolitically, it is in a tight spot in the contest between the West and China. You could say that PNG is caught in a polycrisis of its own, but underlying the visible symptoms are fundamental problems.
The Independent State of Papua New Guinea is essentially a hyper-diverse tribal society wrapped in a Westminster style political system. A people who did not have social structure bigger than a village before European colonization 150 years ago are now citizens of a modern state. The basic social unit is a wantok (“one
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