Returns as PM for one last time before retiring


Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare will celebrate his 71st birthday on April 9, 2007—one month before he hits the campaign trail.

He hopes to return his National Alliance Party to victory for a second term in office.

Somare was born on April 9, 1936, at Rabaul in East Britain Province, where his father, Ludwig Sana Somare, served as a policeman.

He entered politics in 1968 after wrestling the East Sepik regional seat from expatriate (the late) Frank Martin, one of the dominant figures in the business community in the town of Wewak in the 1960s.

This year is Somare’s 39th year in politics and the 2007 general election is set to be his last. He wants to lead his party to another victory and become prime minister again. But he intends to retire from politics after reaching his 40th anniversary in politics, which is next year. His desire to achieve this goal has set him on a collision path with one of his deputy party leaders, former treasurer Bart Philemon, resulting in Philemon leaving the party to set up his own New Generation Party.

Philemon was expected to be released from the National Alliance Party late last month. The Organic Law on the Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates provides for a window of opportunity just before the polls during which sitting members of parliament can resign from his/her party to join another before the election.
Philemon and his supporters have registered the New Generation Party. But he has not officially joined it yet, despite promoting and endorsing candidates for the election.

He will be named leader of the party later this month at the party’s national convention.

The New Generation Party has named the National Alliance as its political enemy number 1 and Philemon is out to ensure Prime Minister Somare is forced out of politics before his desired date.

He is appealing to parents and young adults to put the interests of the children of Papua New Guinea first by voting for his party. That is why the party is called the New Generation Party—focusing on the needs of the children of today and tomorrow.

In what is widely seen as an attempt to undermine the New Generation Party, Somare announced his government is spending K100 million this year to subsidise education for children throughout Papua New Guinea.

ELECTION GIMMICK

This, according to Somare, is a one off gesture only for 2007. The Opposition has described it as an election gimmick and some parents have expressed suspicion about the gesture especially on the eve of the election.

The announcement is also seen as an attempt to undermine the free education policies of Enga Governor, Peter Ipatas and Southern Highlands Governor, Hami Yawari.

Yawari announced recently he will be paying the school fees of children in his oil and gas-rich province of Southern Highlands.

But unlike Yawari and Somare, Ipatas and his provincial government have been paying school fees of Enga children and students up to university level for the past 10 years.

This policy has paid off for the province as it has substantially increased the number of professional people in many fields from that province. The policy of free education has become one of the main policies of Ipatas as he campaigns for the country’s top job under the banner of his new party, the Peoples’ Party.

Papua Guinea has reached another political milestone in its history with the government now serving its full term of five years in office—from 2002 up to the 2007 general election. This is due to the passing of the Organic Law on the Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates by the former government of Sir Mekere Morauta.

Despite stabilising the party system in PNG, Morauta’s then Peoples’ Democratic Movement suffered a massive defeat at the 2002 general election. But he survived and formed his own political party, the PNG Party.

This historical moment comes as a birthday present for Grand Chief Somare—the nation’s founding prime minister—best known as “The Father of the Nation”.

Somare was the chief minister in the lead-up to independence. He automatically became the first prime minister on September 16, 1975.

Two years later in 1977, Somare led his new and rather fragile government to the election.

He won the peoples’ mandate and formed his first post-independence government. His close political ally, Sir Julius Chan, became the deputy prime minister—minding the all-important finance portfolio.

But behind the scenes, firebrand Highlands’ politician (the late Sir) Iambakey Okuk who unsuccessfully tried to wrestle power from Somare, enticed the deputy prime minister to take the top seat.

TRADEMARK

Chan agreed and so PNG saw its first successful no confidence vote on March 11, 1980, ousting Somare from office.

Since that day, PNG Parliament has never seen any government serve its full term of five years in office. Governments changed almost every two years.

Votes of no confidence became the trademark of PNG politics and prime ministers spent more time looking after their own backs than running the nation.

Political swords were out everywhere and prime ministers were held at ransom throughout their short stints in office. All prime ministers including Somare spent more time listening to political carpetbeggars, spivs and liars than governing the affairs of the people.

In 2002, Somare led his newly-found National Alliance Party into the election with renewed vigor and vengeance.

Ironically, it was Philemon and others who formed the National Alliance and then invited Somare who had been unceremoniously tossed out of his former party—the Pangu Pati—to lead the new party into the election.

Philemon and his team needed someone with clout to lead them to the polls and there was no one ready and willing than Somare.

With the support of a new coalition, Somare returned to the top executive post with his National Alliance Party.
It should be remembered also that the late Sir William Skate played a crucial role in guaranteeing the top job for The Chief.

Skate was the gatherer of numbers to ensure victory for Somare.

In his previous role, Somare was the leader of the Pangu Pati but he parted company with his beloved party after a bloody battle for leadership with his once loyal servant Chris Haiveta, whom he calls these days “my nephew.”

Over the term of the present Parliament, various events along the way appeared to have set the stage for another no confidence vote to oust Somare again from power.

However, due to a disorganised opposition, those opportunities now appear set to pass saving PNG from another humiliating laugh from its international friends.

The government also used the Standing Orders of Parliament to set up a committee to vet all proposed motions before they are allowed to be tabled in Parliament.

This committee, dominated by government MPs, ensured the proposed no confidence motions by the Opposition did not get to the floor of Parliament.

In April 2006, Section 145 subsection 2 (b) of the PNG National Constitution came into force. This provided immunity for the prime minister from any no confidence vote.

So the Grand Chief makes history again by being the first prime minister to enjoy the full five-year term of his government. It may be his first and last as the sun sets on the horizon of his long political career.

Relaxing at his prime ministerial suite on the 5th floor of Morauta House, Somare said that Papua New Guineans want stability in politics and Parliament. But the performance of his own government in Parliament in the final days of their five-year term has been unimpressive.

The constant lack of quorum and the frequent adjournments of Parliament so soon after it starts has brought the integrity of Parliament into question.

It is one issue voters will be wanting the new government to sort out to restore integrity in the highest law-making body on the land.

In April, Parliament will meet for the last time before the election.

Nominations for the PNG election open on May 4 and close on May 10. Campaign starts immediately until June 30 when polling commences. Polling ends July 10 and counting begins immediately.

The National Alliance hopes all their coalition partners will stand by them so they can all go in as a team.