Registry initiates Chronicle Project

For decades, much of Papua New Guinea’s history has been viewed and documented through an international lens. But as the nation celebrates its 50th anniversary of Constitutional Independence, a groundbreaking new initiative is set to change that narrative by telling PNG’s story from the inside out. The Chronicle of Political Party Project, an initiative spearheaded by the Registry of Political Parties, is officially documenting the history of political parties in Papua New Guinea from 1960 to 2025.
Brainchild of the Registrar, Mr. Emmanuel Pok, the project aims to record the crucial emergence of political parties in the 1960s and their direct involvement in PNG’s journey to Independence in 1975.With the nation reaching its 50-year milestone, the initiative serves as a vital tool for national identity, ensuring that younger generations understand the foundation laid by the country’s early leaders. “We have a political culture where political parties come up and die out, even after the founder dies, the party dies with it. Even a party that formed the government, faces the same fate. Parties like People’s Democratic Party (PDM) have been strong in the 1997 election and now all the good leadership, the policies have not been recorded. Histories of these once vibrant political parties have not been recorded, even the traits of these dynamic political leaders, that’s why I have come up with this project.” Mr. Pok said. The project – which concludes in both a comprehensively written book and documentary series stands as the Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates Commission’s (IPPCC) formal tribute to the country, its people, the government and its founding fathers.
The monograph heavily focuses on how early leaders realized they needed to organize themselves into formal political parties to effectively complete for the right to govern. By profiling major parties, the project fills a critical, long-standing gap in PNG’s documented history. Parties profiled in the project include the ones who have dominated the landscape over the last five decades, such as Pangu Pati, United Party, National Party, People’s Progress Party (PPP). Melanesian Alliance Party, People’s National Congress (PNC) and National Alliance. While time limits prevented every single party from being profiled in this initial launch, the Registry has confirmed that this is an ongoing effort that will eventually include all parties over time.
This chronicle is a look back from the journey of political parties charted through but also a roadmap for the future. By looking at the successes and failures of these parties in public policy, structural reforms, resources management and service delivery, the project aims to provide invaluable lessons for the next 50 years of PNG’s development