Patrick Howley fms
Abstract
For the past thirty or forty thousand years the people of Papua New Guinea have lived in small communities. In that time they have developed a law and justice system based on a social contract which forbids murder, adultery, stealing and other behaviours that would endanger the quality of life in the community. The law was maintained by a community process administered by the Bigman and his council. Its primary aim was to mend the relationships and then find justice through apology, restitution, reconciliation and restoration of the victim and offender to the community. Payback and revenge certainly did occur but eventually the community settled its affairs according to this Melanesian way. The colonial powers did not know of the Melanesian way and introduced the Westminster system. A marriage of the two would be not only possible but the most suitable for Papua New Guinea.
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