Page 19 - IB Dec 2020

Language fluency PNG

and mental POLITICAL TURMOIL

IN PNG
disorders By Kevin McQuillan

A study of Pacific mothers in New Zealand reveals that being The PNG Supreme Court has ruled the election of James
fluent in both English and Pacific languages may decrease the Marape as Prime Minister in May last year was proper, but has
likelihood of postpartum mental disorders. ruled that a controversial sitting of parliament last month
English-and-Pacific speaking mothers had the lowest rate of was “unconstitutional and invalid.”
mental disorder symptoms, followed by those fluent in Pacific A five-man bench chaired by Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika
languages only. Both were significantly lower than their English- has declared the election of James Marape as Prime Minister
only speaking peers. in 2019 was proper, after Peter O’Neill withdrew his nomina-
Associate Professor El-Shadan Tautolo, Director of the tion.
But in a separate hearing, the court has ordered that Par-
Pacific Islands Families (PIF) Study at Auckland University liament resume on December 14, and that the November 17
of Technology (AUT), says: “Language fluency speaks to a sitting was unlawful.
person’s ethnic identity, who they are and where they come Opposition MPs were caught off guard by the Speaker’s
from. And a strong sense of self and belonging is associated with decision, which allowed the Marape government to pass its
psychological benefits. 2021 Budget and close down parliament until next April.
“Heritage language is a critical component of ethnic identity It remains to be seen whether Marape will accept the deci-
among Pacific people in New Zealand. These findings suggest sion of the court.
that supporting Pacific languages and English may confer mental In a previous case, former Prime Minister Peter O’Neill
health benefits for Pacific mothers, and potentially our families ousted the then PM Sir Michael Somare in August 2011. The
and communities.” court later ruled that the ousting was illegal, but O’Neill
The study, Pacific and English language fluency and mental ignored the ruling.
disorder symptom indications among Pacific mothers in New “Parliament is bitterly divided,” Dr Henry Ivarature, Pacific
Zealand, published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health, Fellow at ANU’s Australia Pacific Security College in Canberra
utilised data collected by the PIF Study. told Islands Business from Port Moresby. Hamburg Süd.
“On one side is an opposition that is unrelenting in its
It expands on previous research into the association between quest to wrestle power off Marape. On the other side is a
bilingualism (or multilingualism) and mental health among government that appears to be thwarting attempts to be Oceans ahead.
Pacific people, by including new measures (cultural orientation held accountable and its confidence tested on the floor of
and the number of years lived in New Zealand) together with parliament.”
sociodemographic and behavioural characteristics. “Marape may survive a confidence vote, if opposition MPs
Researchers analysed an eligible sample of 1272 Pacific are enticed with ministerial posts and other sweeteners to For discerning shippers, Hamburg Süd is the
Associate Professor El-Shadan Tautolo, Director of the Pacific Islands Families
mothers. Data was collected in three phases, at six weeks, one- (PIF) Study at Auckland University of Technology (AUT) join his side. carrier of choice. With our global services,
year and two years following their infant’s birth. At the baseline, “Horse-trading and lobbying will continue unabated as the
the mothers’ average age was 28 years, and most were married opponents battle it out.” high-tech cold care and atmosphere control
or in a de facto relationship (80 percent). By ethnicity, the largest Interestingly, the number of years lived in New Zealand had no Dr Ivarature says however, the prospect of yet another capabilities, the whole world is within reach
groups were Samoan (51 percent), Tongan (23 percent), and bearing on mental disorder symptoms when language fluency and change of government may not sit well with the business
Cook Islands Māori (18 percent). cultural orientation were included in the model. community and voters. It is also clear the Courts do not want Our services are fast, frequent, and reliable
Mental disorder symptoms were lowest among English-and- “Immigration, cultural orientation and ethnic identity are fluid. to interfere in the affairs of another arm of government and our logistics skills are world class.
Pacific speakers in the three phases of data collection (15, 10 This demographic shift is likely to affect the notion of Pacific when they made their ruling. Hamburg Süd… welcome abroad!
“There is a general hope among the business community
and 5 percent, respectively), followed by those fluent in Pacific identity in New Zealand and what heritage languages mean in the and the general population that governments can see out
languages (15, 11 and 6 percent). In contrast, the prevalence of future,” says Tautolo. their full terms unless they are particularly bad. For more, please contact Williams & Gosling Ltd
symptoms was significantly higher among English-only speakers As a specialist in Pacific health and wellbeing, he is pleased to “It’s not helpful to nation-building and longer-term plan- n Suva: (679) 331 2633 / info@wgfiji.com.fj
(18, 16 and 15 percent). see more and more Pacific translations of public health material, ning if governments change every 18 months or as soon as
Only 27 percent of participants were fluent in both English and and people working to improve health literacy among Pacific there is a window to bring on a no-confidence motion. n Lautoka: (679) 666 4090 / helpwest@wgfiji.com.fj
Pacific languages. communities. “It’s also not helpful if governments have to focus on con-
New Zealand-born Pacific people were more likely to be fluent “We cannot underestimate the importance of having people stantly shoring up their numbers and maintaining coalitions
in English only. who look the same and speak the same language in our healthcare instead of actually governing.
Previous studies have shown that not speaking their heritage system, and how that supports better health outcomes for Pacific “I do want to stress that PNG can’t afford the constant
language was associated with perceived inauthenticity and was a people,” says Tautolo. horse-trading, especially with tight budgets, COVID-19 and
basis for exclusion. This rejection may explain why English-only AUT has developed a Pacific language video series – the lack of resource income. PNG’s population want to see No matter what.
speakers have a higher propensity for mental illness. ‘Adapting to a changing world, shaping resilient futures’ – budgets spent on service delivery of basics like health and
“The relationship between language fluency, cultural orientation which highlights PIF Study research on health, mental health, education, not slush funds and sweeteners for MPs to cross
and the number of years lived in New Zealand is complex, and nutrition, immunisation, and cultural resilience. Each video the floors.” www.hamburgsud-line.com
differs between younger New Zealand-born and older Island- corresponds with one of nine Pacific Language Weeks celebrated editor@islandsbusiness.com
born groups. This has fostered cultural shifts and tensions, and in New Zealand. The initiative was led by the Office of Pacific
distinctive sub-cultures,” says Tautolo. Advancement and celebrates 20 years of the PIF Study.
Islands Business, December 2020 19