Making Law in Papua New Guinea


Book Description

"In the waning days of colonialism in Papua New Guinea, much of the rhetoric from local leaders pushing for self-determination focused on replacing the imposed colonial legal system with one that reflected local customs, understandings, relationships, and dispute settlement techniques-in other words, a "uniquely Melanesian jurisprudence." After independence in 1975, however, that aim faded or began to be seen as an impossible objective, and PNG is left with a largely Western legal system. In this book, the authors-who were all directly involved in law teaching, law reform, and judging during that period-explore the potent and enduring grip of colonialism on law and politics long after the colonial regime has been formally disbanded. Combining original historical and legal research, engagement with the scholarly literature of dependency theory and postcolonial studies, and personal observation, interviews, and experience, Making Law in Papua New Guinea offers compelling insights into the many reasons why postcolonial nations remain imprisoned in colonial laws, institutions, and attitudes"--




Administrative Law and Judicial Review in Papua New Guinea


Book Description

This is a compendium of administrative law and judicial review in Papua New Guinea. In this book the author precisely recounts the history of the development of administrative law and judicial review in England and some other common law jurisdictions. The main theme of the book is, however, devoted to judicial review in Papua New Guinea. The practice and procedure for appealing from the decision of the National Court in judicial review are unique and onerous. This book evaluates them in detail to give the readers a complete sense of reference. The interlocutory procedures encapsulated in this book are also relevant for any proceeding before the courts. At the end of various chapters, the author makes some insightful and thought-provoking commentaries on gaps found in judicial review. The book is an authoritative text for lawyers, law students, academia, judicial officers and other interested persons alike. It is a must read for lawyers and law students who seek to be familiar with the often cumbersome judicial review procedures and practices. For students and scholars in other disciplines who aim to learn and abreast themselves of how administrative law affects administrative action and public policy, this book is a perfect choice. The book dissects complex administrative law concepts and enables lay persons, including those in the public service, to fully understand and apply them. The book is a valuable resource material for the Pacific Island countries like Fiji, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands, who have adopted the common law legal systems similar to Papua New Guinea. BOOK REVIEWS “The author collates, culls and compiles one important material for use by judicial officers and practitioners in the area of judicial review.” – Leslie Mamu, LL.B, Acting Public Solicitor, Papua New Guinea, 18 February 2018, Port Moresby, PNG “This welcome new book by Christopher Karaiye is essential reading for all lawyers practising in the busy area of Judicial Review in PNG and also students of the topic. It is a well-researched and presented work and will be a worthy addition to my administrative law library.” – Terry Lambert, LL.B, LL.M, Barrister (Queensland, Australia), Lawyer (PNG), Solicitor (England & Wales), 7 June 2018, Brisbane, Australia “The book “Administrative Law and Judicial Review in Papua New Guinea” is a must read for lawyers and public alike involved in the judicial review of administrative decisions. The book contains a comprehensive guide to an increasingly important yet quite complex area of law. The author draws from his own experience and research to make this important contribution to the development of Papua New Guinea’s expanding judicial review jurisprudence. This work is essential reading to understand the nuances involved in this area of law.” – Dr Vergil Narokobi, LL.B, LL.M, Ph.D, Counsel for the Papua New Guinea Ombudsman Commission & President of Papua New Guinea Law Society, 25 June 2018, Port Moresby, PNG “This work is of very high quality and would be a very valuable tool for judges, magistrates, lawyers, the academia, and people in decision-making positions in the public and the private sectors. I recommend the book to them. I am impressed with your comprehensive use of local case precedents and in-depth knowledge of the topics.” – Honourable Sir Gibbs Salika, KBE CSM OBE, Deputy Chief Justice of Papua New Guinea (as he then was), 4 July 2018, Port Moresby, PNG “An extensive, thought-provoking and easy to read compendium that makes accessible the law of Papua New Guinea on the topic of judicial review in its many guises.” – Emeritus Professor Tony Angelo (Victoria University of Wellington), QC, 7 October 2018, Wellington, New Zealand







Grassroots Law in Papua New Guinea


Book Description

The introduction of village courts in Papua New Guinea in 1975 was an ambitious experiment in providing semi-formal legal access to the country’s overwhelmingly rural population. Nearly 50 years later, the enthusiastic adoption of these courts has had a number of ramifications, some of them unanticipated. Arguably, the village courts have developed and are working exactly as they were supposed to do, adapted by local communities to modes and styles consistent with their own dispute management sensibilities. But with little in the way of state oversight or support, most village courts have become, of necessity, nearly autonomous. Village courts have also become the blueprint for other modes of dispute management. They overlap with other sources of authority, so the line between what does and does not constitute a ‘court’ is now indistinct in many parts of the country. Rather than casting this issue as a problem for legal development, the contributors to Grassroots Law in Papua New Guinea ask how, under conditions of state withdrawal, people seek to retain an understanding of law that holds out some promise of either keeping the attention of the state or reproducing the state’s authority.




Policy Making and Implementation


Book Description

There is a vast literature on the principles of public administration and good governance, and no shortage of theoreticians, practitioners and donors eager to push for public sector reform, especially in less-developed countries. Papua New Guinea has had its share of public sector reforms, frequently under the influence of multinational agencies and aid donors. Yet there seems to be a general consensus, both within and outside Papua New Guinea, that policy making and implementation have fallen short of expectations, that there has been a failure to achieve 'good governance'. This volume, which brings together a number of Papua New Guinean and Australian-based scholars and practitioners with deep familiarity of policy making in Papua New Guinea, examines the record of policy making and implementation in Papua New Guinea since independence. It reviews the history of public sector reform in Papua New Guinea, and provides case studies of policy making and implementation in a number of areas, including the economy, agriculture, mineral development, health, education, lands, environment, forestry, decentralization, law and order, defence, women and foreign affairs, privatization, and AIDS. Policy is continuously evolving, but this study documents the processes of policy making and implementation over a number of years, with the hope that a better understanding of past successes and failures will contribute to improved governance in the future.




Legal Literature in Small Jurisdictions


Book Description

"A report of a conference held at Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, Downsview, Ontario, on 3-5 November 1978 edited by William Twining and Jenny Uglow for the Canadian Law Information Council, Canada and the Commmonwealth Legal Education Association, London."--T.p.




Reading Modern Law


Book Description

Reading Modern Law identifies and elaborates upon key critical methodologies for reading and writing about law in modernity. The force of law rests on determinate and localizable authorizations, as well as an expansive capacity to encompass what has not been pre-figured by an order of rules. The key question this dynamic of law raises is how legal forms might be deployed to confront and disrupt injustice. The urgency of this question must not eclipse the care its complexity demands. This book offers a critical methodology for addressing the many challenges thrown up by that question, whilst testifying to its complexity. The essays in this volume - engagements direct or oblique, with the work of Peter Fitzpatrick - chart a mode of resisting the proliferation of social scientific methods, as much as geo-political empire. The authors elaborate a critical and interdisciplinary treatment of law and modernity, and outline the pivotal role of sovereignty in contemporary formations of power, both national and international. From various overlapping vantage points, therefore, Reading Modern Law interrogates law's relationship to power, as well as its relationship to the critical work of reading and writing about law in modernity.




Passage of Change


Book Description

Numerous issues face Pacific states trying to find their way in the early 21st century. Countries are striving to secure the benefits of modernisation. Governance, law and order are needed to reach such a goal, but development cannot be at the price of culture or the environment. The question of how to develop and maintain sound legal systems and legal rules whilst maintaining the unique cultural heritages within the Pacific is a challenge with no easy answer. This interdisciplinary collection locates issues of law and governance within the particular socio-political context of the Pacific island region, presenting sociological, anthropological and political insights alongside jurisprudential analysis. Key issues including corruption, the role of customary law in modern legal systems, the place of human rights in the Pacific, environmental issues and the structure of the state are explored from a variety of perspectives.




Civic Insecurity


Book Description

Papua New Guinea has a complex ‘law and order’ problem and an entrenched epidemic of HIV. This book explores their interaction. It also probes their joint challenges and opportunities—most fundamentally for civic security, a condition that could offer some immunity to both.




The Noter Up


Book Description