Extreme compensation as perverse socialism: who pays? who gains?

So we have the current price of peace in the Western Highlands: K100,000

And with that, an entire tribe will have no money for school supplies, transport, kerosene, salt, rice and secondhand clothes so they can pacify another tribe which claims collective offense for an accidental death of a young man not everyone knew. If you think the 2012 version of this wealth redistribution is as socialist as it may have been even twenty years ago, come back in a year and ask how men members of the beneficiary tribe actually received part of this K100,000. Will we find one overpriced Land Rover being driven by the local councillor of this man’s village?---perhaps a man with no biological or direct social connection to the deceased? What about the hundreds of employers and relatives pressed to advance wages and/or loans without any expectation of return---what do they get in return? Who credits their log book? What accountant will write that off? What party candidate will pledge to step in and make reparations to all the contributors to this huge pay-off who have absolutely no current or historical connection to the victims or the perpetrators’ clan? How many scores of children unrelated to this cause will now be denied school or project fees?—necessary surgeries?---visits to distant grandparents?

It is well past the time we need to reconsider the impact of big cash compensations on the larger community. Time to ask: Who gains?

 

News	Thursday 05th April, 2012

Dei tribe sets compo history

By Mal Taime

THE people of Nilka tribe in Dei Council District in the Western Highlands Province has set history to pay more than K100,000 compensation with pigs and cows to Moge Andaklimb tribe on Tuesday.
The compensation ceremony was made following a killing that occurred early this year.
The incident occurred after a man from Nilka tribe and Andaklimb were drinking at MMS Lodge in Mt Hagen and had an argument which ended up in a fight that led to the death of Kansol Paraka.
Both men are married to two sisters and were living in their wives’ village.
The relatives of the victim had set a good precedence and did not want to take the law into their own hands to take revenge.
However, it took only seven weeks for the people of Nilka to contribute to raise the money with other goods to pay compensation.
They paid a total of K100,000 in cash, 100 pigs, eight cows, five goats, one possum, one python and two cassowaries to the relatives of the victim.
The relatives of the victim accepted what the Nilka people gave to them and said it was a pre-planned incident.
According to the Nilka people, when the victim was at Mt Hagen General Hospital they contributed and gave K500 towards hospital expenses but he died.
The incident feared the lives of Dei Council for not travelling to Mt Hagen to do business and other activities.
They spent over K150,000 to buy pigs and also contributed some cash and gave it to the relatives of the victim apart from the K100,000 compensation payment.
Businessman Max Kumbamong said on this earth people always encountered problems and urged people to know how to manage themselves.
He said Godly chosen people should not encourage problem because problems displace people and caused damage to properties worth thousands of kina.
Former Western Highlands governor Paias Wingti was given the privilege to hand over the money bag to the peace mediators to give it to the relatives of the victim witnessed by Mr Kumbamong, who will also run for the regional seat against other prominent leaders.
Mr Wingti said it was very important to negotiate for peace because it would unite people at all times. He said if people refuse to negotiate for peace ceremony in any trouble-related issues there would be unstable society that would dismantle everything and no development would take place. Mr Wingti said peace was very important and if there was peace in Western Highlands tangible developments would come about in the province contributing the country as a whole.
He said this trouble was an unexpected one because the two brothers did not plan for it and thanked the Andaklimb people for not taking the law into their own hands to retaliate.
Mr Wingti commended them for allowing justice to take place because this was the only solution to solve every problem.
He also thanked the relatives of the suspect for taking a few weeks to contribute cash to pay compensation.
He said Western Highlands was the central province to other Highlands provinces and it must be a trouble-free province.