Former Vanuatu PM disputes Somare legacy as Melanesian decolonisation champion rnz.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from rnz.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
POLICY FORUM
4 March 2021
The Pacific has lost a giant with the passing of Sir Michael Somare, but the man known as ‘the Chief’ leaves a lasting legacy both in Papua New Guinea and throughout the region, Henry Ivarature and Ben Bohane write.
Before he passed on 26 February 2021, Grand Chief Sir Michael Thomas Somare was a consummate politician – a one-man political institution.
He was one of the founding fathers of Papua New Guinea (PNG), a member of the famous Bully Beef Club, and a founding member of the Pangu Pati, the Papua and New Guinea United Party which left to form the National Alliance. He was also the most resilient politician of them all, unrivalled as a member of parliament (MP), prime minister (PM) and minister of state (MoS).
The passing of Sir Michael Somare, the first chief minister and the founding prime minister of Papua New Guinea, ends a remarkable political life that began when he was elected to the pre-independence House of Assembly in 1968 and saw him serve four terms as prime minister.
No PNG prime minister worked with more Australian prime ministers and their governments. As chief minister from 1973 he worked with the Whitlam government on the transition from self-government to independence in 1975. He subsequently worked with the Fraser, Hawke, Howard, Rudd and Gillard governments during his four terms as his nation’s head.
Prior to self-government he had gained the confidence of territories minister, Andrew Peacock, an association that helped secure bipartisan support for self-government.
Somare, PNGs father Of The Nation, Dead At 84 urdupoint.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from urdupoint.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.