Sir Michael will return to parliament, says Arthur
07 September 2011
A WAR OF WORDS has broken out following Sir Michael’s Somare’s ‘exclusion’ from parliament yesterday after Speaker Jeffrey Nape declared his seat vacant.
AAP’s Eoin Blackwell is reporting that Sir Michael’s son, Arthur, has said he will bring the ailing 76-year-old former prime minister into the chamber when parliament next meets on 20 September.
"We feel confident that there is no vacancy in the East Sepik provincial seat," Arthur Somare told The National.
If Sir Michael encroaches the floor of parliament, defying Speaker Nape, it will cause tumult.
The Post-Courier reported a "visibly angry" Arthur Somare saying that neither prime minister Peter O'Neill nor Mr Nape could stop him from "literally open[ing] the door to the chamber and bringing in the Grand Chief".
Arthur was the one that retired his father earlier on and, I said to myself, this man surely cares for his father and is protecting his father from the pressures of politics.
But now he says that he will personally wheel his father back into the chamber.
Apart from this being a blatant disrespect to his ailing father and a contradiction to his supposed intention earlier, it also shows how ruthless and heartless he can be to hold onto power.
The democratic parliament of PNG has spoken so respect that - if you still have issues, let the judiciary judge.
Message to Arthur - stop using your father, step away from his shadow and fight your own battles. Respect is earned not inherited.
Posted by: Tanya Zeriga Alone | 08 September 2011 at 10:08 AM
Happy to hear that. It's about time. We need young and strong leaders who have heart for their people.
Leaders who can implement avoiding their cultural obligations.
Posted by: Barry. Kaluwin | 07 September 2011 at 11:16 PM
Good Lord. I think your son, Sir Michael, has done enough for us. So please bring him back to You quickly as he is becoming a problem to us. Amen.
Posted by: Leonard Roka | 07 September 2011 at 08:28 PM
The few effectively functioning democracies I know of have leaders serving certain set terms of office.
Once the voters get him out, or the constitutionally permitted terms are done with, he is gone. But here, we see the Somare family still fighting for the office telling PNG that they will die in office.
I believe that, the more one holds on to power, the few successes can blind his psychological reasoning to notice small loopholes in his leadership. Thus he will consider himself a better leader and in due course destroy the nation.
New minds, if allowed, bring in new ideas and methods that can drive a nation forward.
Somare has long been in power, so the few success points he sees are just plastered across PNG on paper and not on the ground where change can be felt by the people.
Posted by: Leonard Roka | 07 September 2011 at 08:24 PM
Good God, what next? How old is he, 74, 75? Why doesn't he just retire and tend his gardens in the Sepik?
Retire with some dignity and maybe he will be remembered.
Seems to me that Somare is doing the Mugabe gig, this is not helpful to the decent citizens of PNG.
Then again he may want a dynasty like the Romans of old.
Arthur and his daughter to take over the reins whilst he sits in sartorial splendour giving orders.
Somare is past the used by date, and the quicker PNG citizens realise this and find out where his wealth has come from the better for all concerned.
Posted by: Colin Huggins | 07 September 2011 at 08:02 PM