Sir Michael Somare: The Chief

Updated 8 May 2012, 20:18 AEST
Sean Dorney, Pacific Correspondent

The father of the Papua New Guinea nation, the man who took the country to independence from Australia 37 years ago is finally about to retire. Or is he?

Pacific Correspondent Sean Dorney looks back on the remarkable career of Michael Thomas Somare.

Sir Michael Somare, the father of the Papua New Guinea nation and the man who took the country to independence from Australia 37 years ago. [AFP: Torsten Blackwood]
The speech he delivered to his political party's corporate dinner in Port Moresby at the weekend so confused the Papua New Guinea correspondent for Australian Associated Press that he sought clarification from Sir Michael Somare's daughter and press secretary, Betha.

He then wrote a story saying Sir Michael would stand for the East Sepik Provincial seat at the national elections in June but then would retire mid-term.

The French news agency, AFP, also spoke to Betha Somare and reported the opposite. He was definitely going to retire, which is what our correspondent, Liam Fox, had been reporting.

In his speech, Sir Michael said he was about to "step off the political stage". But his next sentence was: "As one of the oldest people in PNG today I know that I still have so much to give to PNG and my people of East Sepik."

And he went on: "I assure candidates and sitting members that I will campaign strongly for National Alliance and its coalition partners to form government this July."

Back in February, on a reporting assignment to PNG, I asked Sir Michael directly whether he would stand again.

This is what he said: "I've reached my time for retirement and I was looking forward to 2012. But if people think that they can easily use the Parliament numbers to get rid of me that easily, I have a second thought. Because the East Sepik people would think similar. Already they're talking in terms of getting me back in Parliament."

And in March, The National, one of PNG's two daily newspapers, in an item detailing how Sir Michael had flown by helicopter around a number of electorates in the East Sepik ran a story under the headline: "I will lead National Alliance in next election: Somare".

"Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare will lead the National Alliance party into the June election," The National reported, "and is confident of securing the numbers to form the next government. Sir Michael will re-contest his East Sepik provincial seat."

Now, it seems official, he won't.

At age 76, Sir Michael is absolutely right in saying he is "one of the oldest people in PNG today". The average life expectancy of males in PNG is 61.

His has been a most remarkable career.

His lasting legacy will be Papua New Guinea's peaceful transition to independence. Although there have been considerable stresses and strains Somare has played a major role in ensuring that PNG has remained democratic despite its rapid transition to nationhood. PNG has been melded together from what were a thousand or more tribal societies - many traditionally at war with their immediate neighbours.

The political stability that came from Somare being Prime Minister for nine consecutive years (2002-2011) encouraged massive investment that resulted in PNG posting economic growth statistics the envy of many another developing country.

Michael Thomas Somare began his working life as a teacher and moved into broadcasting in the 1960s as a popular announcer and journalist on the then Australian Administration's provincial station, Radio East Sepik.

Gus Smales, the PNG correspondent for the Herald and Weekly Times group for many years up to and immediately after independence, was witness to some of the discrimination Somare had to endure.

At Gus' farewell from PNG, Somare himself told the story of how, when they had both been covering the visit of a travelling delegation, he, Somare, had been told he was not invited to join the rest of the party at one particular stop on the journey. "Natives could stay outside." Somare paid tribute to Gus saying he could never forget how Gus had refused to go in unless the ban on his younger Papua New Guinean journalistic colleague, Somare, was lifted.

Sir Michael did further studies at the Administrative College in Port Moresby in 1965 which is where "the Bully Beef Club" was formed by Papua New Guineans keen to see Papua New Guinea take control of its own destiny.

Out of that came the Pangu Pati which contested and won a small number of seats in the 1968 election for the pre-independence Legislative Assembly.

Somare was elected. He has represented the East Sepik ever since. 44 years is an extraordinarily long time to have been a Member of Parliament especially in a country like PNG where the turnover at the five yearly national elections is often well over 50 per cent.

However, during that 44 years there have been fairly regular announcements of an intention to retire.

My first interview with Sir Michael about possible retirement was way back in February 1983! He had skillfully formed an unlikely coalition government after the 1972 elections, led PNG to independence in 1975 and formed another coalition government after the elections in 1977. Removed in a Vote of No Confidence in 1980, Somare stormed back into power in 1982 when the Pangu Pati won 50 seats in the 109 Member chamber.

In that 1983 interview he spoke about what he hoped to achieve in the remaining four-and-a-half years of that Parliament before stepping down. But, two months later, he changed his mind and in late April 1983, issued a statement saying he would lead Pangu into the 1987 elections.

That turnaround came about because serious divisions were appearing in the Pangu caucus over leadership succession just ten months into the new Government's term. Eventually, even Somare could not hold things together and Pangu split three ways and he lost power in 1985 to Paias Wingti who had deserted him to lead one of the factions which became the People's Democratic Movement.

Later, Sir Michael himself split with Pangu and formed the National Alliance which he led back into power in 2002. He formed anther Government after the 2007 elections and remained in charge until hospitalised in Singapore last year.

In his speech to the National Alliance function at the weekend Sir Michael reflected on his near death experience:

"This time last year I was in the Intensive Care Unit of the Raffles Hospital Singapore," he said. "My chances of recovering from secondary complications were very slim. But with good care from the specialist nurses and doctors, my family and many people in PNG, the Pacific and around the world who prayed for me, I finally pulled through and was discharged in August of last year."

By then, the Parliament had removed him and elected Peter O'Neill Prime Minister.

"I returned in September to PNG to find a new arrangement in place," Sir Michael told the corporate dinner. "I have since then had time to consider my period of illness and how I was spared to return almost as good as new to my beloved PNG."

That "almost as good as new" phrasing says it all about Sir Michael Somare. He intends to be around for a while yet. Although, this time, maybe, he won't be in Parliament.