‘Strong National Alliance (NA) can win without me,' Somare

By ELIZABETH VUVU*

THE ruling National Alliance party is strong enough to live on and win without its leader.And the one who said this was none other than its parliamentary leader, Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare.The party did not need to use the Somare name to woo voters in 2012, Sir Michael said.

Speaking at the opening of the New Guinea Islands National Alliance party convention in Kokopo last Friday, he said the NA party was more organised and way ahead of other parties.He said the party would continue to maintain and work with its coalition partners, even if their numbers exceeded the majority required to win Government. Sir Michael said he was confident his party would “make it again in 2012”.

He said the coalition Government, led by the NA party, brought together more than 2,000 people to Kokopo and successfully completed the Benefits Sharing Agreement that triggered off the LNG project.The NA party had the best brains of PNG in cabinet, he said.He assured the people nothing could go wrong. However, it concerned him when he heard of members not working together, and this must not be allowed to continue as all must work together, Sir Michael said.He said NA was a member-based party and not a leader-based party.

“People relied so much on Michael Somare when Pangu party reigned, and I’d like that tag ‘Somare’ to be taken away from the NA, and I want it to be a party for its members,” he said.“You may not have another Michael Somare to attract the voters that I have been able to nationally do for a long time.“The tag ‘Somare’ – I would like you to remove it from your alliance tickets.

“You must depend on organisation and network and not personality.“When Pangu party was alive, people said it was a Somare cult, and I do not want NA to be called a Somare cult again.“I want it to be a party for all, party for PNG.”He said many people in and outside the party were asking when another person would replace him as the leader of the NA party. The answer was clear as the party constitution said that a person could be parliament leader for only two consecutive terms, he said.

However, the constitution also says that a national convention can waive the provision if it is in the interest of the party to do so.“So the provision was used in 2007, allowing me to serve another term as parliamentary leader of the party, which I thank the party and the supporters for allowing me to lead the party again,” he said.He said the party would meet again next year to decide who should lead.

“It is not for me to decide,” Sir Michael said.Present at the two-day convention were East New Britain Governor Leo Dion, NA deputy leader Paul Tiensten, Deputy Prime Minister and Southern region parliamentary leader Dr Puka Temu, Highlands parliamentary leader Don Polye, Education Minister James Marape, West New Britain Governor Peter Humphreys, Manus Governor Michael Sapau, Bougainville MP Fidelis Semoso and members and friends of the NA.

Vuvu is a reporter of The National*

*** I think Papua New Guinea and her people does not need either Somare or his National Alliance Party. Somare has been around for too long prior to independence and it is obvious that he has no concert plans and policies in place to move the country forward.

We maybe politically independent but developmentally, we have a long way to go. The deteriorating conditions of our infrastructure speaks volumes of how Somare and his NA party spent all the money on for the last 30 years or so when he was in politics.

I don't want to see Somare and NA beat their chest saying we have accomplished something in terms of infrastructure development in the rural areas where the majority of the people live. Somare has been living his extravagant lifestyle mostly in the Port Moresby or Australia where some of his properties are located and has failed miserably over the years to acknowledge the hardship (which are countless) by many of our folks in the villages.

I think Papua New Guinea and her people will be comfortable without Somare and NA. For too long we have been deprived of our rights and we are fed with the 'big boy' mentality and tatics used by Somare and NA. I welcome your thoughts, comments, questions, etc....

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