Tag: kastom

Strange Bedfellows

Dan McGarry

[Originally published in the Vanuatu Daily Post‘s Weekender Edition.]

Modern Vanuatu society expresses its values three ways: through kastom, the law and the church. If we reflect honestly on each of them, we have to admit that not one is ideally implemented. Nonetheless, each is inextricably woven into our identity, and thus bound to the other two.

It’s sometimes tempting to think about the tension between each of these influences in exclusive terms, to assume that certain things belong in one domain and therefore not in another. When the chief, the policeman and the pastor don their respective robes of office, we think we see a clear distinction.

But as with all things, the differences are far clearer in the abstract than in real life.

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Kastom & The Law: Worlds Apart

Dan McGarry3 Comments

It’s hard to decide whether our comprehensive understanding of the causes of crime should be cause for joy or despair. If we see so clearly what needs doing, why don’t we do it?

(Originally published in the Vanuatu Daily Post‘s Weekender Section.)

Last week’s summit on crime at the University of the South Pacific produced many useful recommendations. Perhaps too many.

The recommendations emerging from the 3 day workshop covered an immense scope: Law enforcement, the judicial and penal systems, the role of chiefs, social justice, ethics and civics education as well as employment were all identified as areas where conditions must improve in order to alleviate crime.

It’s hard to decide whether our comprehensive understanding of the problem should be cause for joy or despair. If we see so clearly what needs doing, why don’t we do it?

Allow me to offer an unwelcome answer: We don’t do anything because we as a society don’t want to.
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