Country Comments After Biden Statement
Papua New Guinea, a South Pacific nation, is making headlines after remarks made by US presidential candidate Joe Biden have sparked controversy. While campaigning in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, Biden spoke about his late uncle, 2nd Lt Ambrose J Finnegan Jr, and suggested that he may have been eaten by cannibals during World War Two in Papua New Guinea. These comments have been met with a mixture of bemusement and criticism in the country.
According to official war records, Finnegan was killed when a plane he was a passenger on experienced engine failure and crashed into the Pacific Ocean. These records do not mention cannibalism or state that the plane was shot down. However, during his speech, Biden claimed that his uncle “got shot down in New Guinea” and that “they never found the body because there used to be a lot of cannibals, for real, in that part of New Guinea.”
Analysts in Papua New Guinea have described Biden’s claims as unsubstantiated and poorly judged, particularly at a time when the US has been trying to strengthen its ties with the country and counter Chinese influence in the Pacific region.
Michael Kabuni, a political science lecturer at the University of Papua New Guinea, highlighted the pride of the Melanesian people and their distaste towards being categorized in such a manner. “Not because someone says ‘oh there used to be cannibalism in PNG’ – yes, we know that, that’s a fact. But taking it out of context, and implying that your [uncle] jumps out of the plane and somehow we think it’s a good meal is unacceptable,” Kabuni said.
Cannibalism was practiced by some communities in Papua New Guinea in the past, but it was often done out of respect for a deceased relative to prevent their body from decomposing. It was not a widespread practice fueled by a lack of food, as suggested by Biden. Moreover, the practice of cannibalism was not exclusive to Papua New Guinea, and it is estimated that around 79,000 US soldiers are still unaccounted for following World War Two.
Maholopa Laveil, an economics lecturer at the University of Papua New Guinea, expressed his disappointment in the US presidential candidate’s remarks: “For a US president to say that – particularly after a lot of deals have been struck with PNG and the work they’ve been doing in the Pacific – even off the cuff, I don’t think that should have been said at all.”
Allan Bird, governor of the province of East Sepik, who was recently selected as the alternate prime minister for the opposition, believes that Biden’s comments were influenced by his childhood experiences. “I am sure when Biden was a child, those are the things he heard his parents say. And it probably stuck with him all his life,” he said. However, Bird also pointed out that these comments come after Biden canceled a brief trip to Papua New Guinea last year, which may have contributed to his lack of knowledge about the country’s culture and customs.
While cannibalism may have been a part of Papua New Guinea’s history, it is certainly not a prevalent practice in modern times. In fact, the country has been making efforts to eliminate misconceptions about cannibalism and educate the world about its culture and traditions. Therefore, the claims made by Biden are considered unhelpful and damaging to the country’s image. “It paints PNG in a bad light. PNG has already had a lot of negative press around riots and tribal fighting and this doesn’t help, and [the claims are] unsubstantiated,” said Laveil.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, a Pentagon agency, has stated that the plane on which Biden’s uncle was a passenger crashed into the ocean due to engine failure and subsequent nose-first contact with the water. Three of the crew members were not able to escape and were lost in the crash, while one was rescued by a passing barge. Despite an aerial search the next day, no trace of the missing aircraft or the lost crew members was found. Therefore, claims of cannibalism surrounding Finnegan’s death remain unverified.