ROWAN CALLICK reports in The Australian  this morning that Michael Somare has pushed through a radical reshuffle of his cabinet in “a desperate move to shore up his control as he faces being forced to stand down by the [PNG] Supreme Court.”

Callick recounts that Sir Michael has been accused of failing, since 1995, to file annual returns listing his assets and business dealings, as required by law. The Ombudsman Commission has also asked him to explain holidays he has taken overseas, including to Malaysia, in order to track who paid for them and why.

Sir Michael lost a final appeal last week and the case will now be referred to the public prosecutor. Callick says he is trying to ensure that the person acting as prime minister during his enforced period out of office - likely to last two or three months at least, according to Callick - will act in his best interests.

“He sacked as deputy prime minister Don Polye in a pre-emptive measure in case he entrenched himself in the top job and made it tough for Mr Somare to return,” Callick writes. “Mr Polye is the leader a Highlands bloc of MPs, who hold 40 per cent of all seats in the parliament.

“Mr Somare was also anxious to ensure his son Arthur, long considered a potential successor, retains his position as Public Enterprise Minister, which has given him substantial carriage of the multi-billion-dollar gas projects transforming the country," Callick reports.

Source: ‘Michael Somare makes sure PNG's top job remains his’ by Rowan Callick, The Australian, 9 December 2010