The Chief: Ready

for the campaign

Known to friend and foe alike as “The Chief’, Michael Thomas Somare has never been bested in an election. But while he has led both post-independ ence elected governments, neither has run its full term. Once again The Chief is on the campaign trail.

After his defeat in a no confidence motion by the Chan-Okuk coalition in 1980, Mr Somare took to the bush where 87 per cent of the PNG population still lives.

While the rest were talking, So mare was walking. He encouraged his candidates to do the same. The result was Pangu’s best ever and the party came close to an outright majority.

However, the inevitable no confi dence motions came thick and fast after three years. Deserted by some of his own lieutenants, Mr Somare fell to his disaffected deputy, Mr Paias Wingti.

But, when ROWAN CALLICK (a Somare watcher of long standing) met him in Sydney, The Chief looked fit and eager for a campaign which many have said he is too old at 50 to win.

The Chief doesn’t think so. Ex cerpts: PIM: The riots after Sir lambakey Okuk’s death showed that the high lands provinces are still capable of major unrest and coastal people, who had become used to living and working beside highlanders, may now regard

them with a new wariness. Would that be accurate?

Somare: Coastal people in the government’s ranks told me, “These bloody kanakas. If they can’t learn, they shouldn’t waste our time.”

Mr Wingti and (his deputy) Sir Julius Chan followed the body while it was taken around the highlands for official mourning. Yet the people still caused trouble. Why do you think that hap pened?

Because Wingti should have stood aside and controlled, which he did not. He lost control and he lost credibility. People are not stupid.

They know. They could see that they (Wingti and Chan) were going around trying to make political mileage out of a dead body. You can’t do that.

And I’m pretty sure that lambakey’s spirit would not have approved because he doesn’t like to see these two people standing around.

What did you think when the crowd marched on Parliament House threatening to destroy it?

Well he (Wingti) couldn’t go and meet the crowd until I told him: 1 was out there in front. I told them, “You can’t come and destroy parliament.”

It would not have happened in my time.

Do you think the recent provincial elections give a guide to voting patterns in the general elections?

Yes. In New Ireland, for instance, it’s good for us because New Ireland has always been a PPP (Sir Julius Chan’s People’s Progress Party) stronghold. We’ve made a new breakthrough there. In Manus Steven Pokawin’s doing the right thing by getting into politics at provincial level and at an early age. It’s less good for us in other places, but we’re working there.

Do you have much contact now with your former deputy Mr Wingti?

I don’t talk to the Prime minister these days. 1 used to from time to time when Chan was prime minister.

But Wingti just refuses to see people.

He even refused to see me. He refuses to see everybody.

You have no working relationship at all? He doesn’t even phone?

No he doesn’t. And I try to give him a ring to say “Look I was disappoint ed with certain things.” And then I write him a letter and don’t get any response. With Chan I used to get an immediate answer.

Mr Somare: Eager for the fray.

Now that Morobe province premier Mr Utula Samana is standing, are you worried about losing seats there? It’s always been Fangu heartland before.

I don’t think Utula Samana will get 50 per cent of the seats. I think he’ll end up with three or four. Pangu’s grass roots work there is still very strong. I think the independents will have a few problems.

Your coalition relationship with Melanesian Alliance could have an impact there?

Yes. We are both running candi dates in some areas but whoever wins will be part of the coalition. In fact the National Party has approached us on that same basis.

What will be the outcome of the elections?

Pangu and PPP will have the larger numbers. And possibly PDM. But PDM hasn’t got a grass roots or ganisation. Wingti is trying to use his name. He’s trying to use it like Somare charisma, but it’s not working.

Will you, MA and the Nationals have the numbers to form a government.

I am confident of having more than 50 seats. There’s also been a lot of talk about an alliance between Pangu and PPP. Everybody’s talking about that. A lot of the people want that.

Are you among them?

I could accept that. But I don’t know if the party organisation would.

But I wouldn’t rule it out.

And Sir Julius?

I think he’d go along. You see the two of us, we have nothing personal about each other. You know what Papua New Guineans are like. They have not forgotten the fact that the no confidence vote was moved by Chan. But if we are to have stability and prosperity in the next decade we

need the best people in the governmen t- If you did get together, who’d be prime minister?

That can be worked out.

But how would you feel about going into a coalition if your partners wanted somebody else as PM?

Jh !lT' 0 J et * he r,M y 1° W °: k with the coalition and Id have to retire to the back benches if that You wouldn’t serve in cabinet under .1 . . , 0 another pnme minister?

M i „ .. n Not unless it was a Pangu prime minister. If I had someone like Rabbi (Namaliu) or even (Tony) Siaguru or ii r . ' ... r ' a U 1 one of hese -d P ’h (T® 93 one of these - I d probably serve.

Once you ve got Pangu back into

9 Ztz\ T K ...

Well the time must come when I have to consider. But I’m not yet thinking of early retirement from politics. 1 want to see see stability in PNG and see the people of the region having confidence in us.

Did Mr Wingti make a mistake by not turning up at the Forum meeting last year?

Well, I don’t think he has exposed himself and I don’t he knows about foreign policy. I don’t think he under stands it. He’s more concerned about his image at home.

But you surprised a lot of people in 1982 when you picked him as your deputy.

Yes I saw a lot of potential in him.

There were people like Siaguru, Namaliu, Nilkare, Bouraga, Giheno.

They’re some of the best brains in the country. But I picked Paias. I thought he was tough and would learn as he went along. But now the country has tried him out. The job of PM is not just to become PM. You have to win the confidence of the people. He has not done that. When he goes back to Mount Hagen he gets straight into a car and goes to see his business associates. That’s not very good for a

Continued on page 24

Ex Pangu foreign affairs minister Rabbi Namaliu and (right) his successor and Pangu colleague John Giheno.

Continued from page 21 prime minister. There was rioting and looting in Hagen his township.

That would not happen in Wewak (capital of Somare’s East Sepik pro vince). One word from me and no body would have moved. In Hagen he ignored it. He said it was something for the police and he lost the confi dence of his own people. I think his chances of being re-elected are pretty slim at the moment. If he had been tougher with his own people they would respect him. And that’s what the highlanders need. They want to see a big stick. Once you wave that big stick they respect you. You were up there, you know that.

If you’re not thinking of leaving politics in the near future, are there other things that interest you?

No, I wouldn’t be interested in anything else. Once I quit politics.

I’m going home.

You wouldn’t be interested in work ing for an international organisation, say?

No, I’ll go home. I’ll be planting cocoa.

You never felt like giving it away after Mr Wingti took over and you’d done so much?

Yes, I wanted to give it away then.

But I had a lot of pressure from people like Rabbi and people like Tony Siaguru and (Sir) Barry Hollo way. And the party said, “No you can’t do that.” I was prepared to give it away but the party said, “No. Not now.”

How do you feel about Pangu splitting up after your biggest victory in ’B2?

I was disappointed. I felt that I’d built up a party machine. We had our biggest victory and then suddenly my lieutenants cut it up. But, you know, that’s not the end of everything. I’m

working towards building the party again. The party machine is still strong.

What will be the main thrust of your policies?

Education and health. We need a healthy and educated nation. Ten years after talking about localisation we still don’t have enough educated people in many industries. We’ll also be strong on investment and econo mic development.

What did you think of the Melanesian Spearhead Group at the Forum?

I never encouraged it and I still won’t. I maintain that would be wrong for PNG because we are the largest country and we have the resources. We don’t have the man power but the fact is we are the largest and it’s our duty to pull everybody together. Not just the Melanesians.

What about the Soviet presence?

Speaking for the smaller island states, we have to survive. People like Tuvalu, Kiribati, Vanuatu have got to survive. If America is not interested in our survival, not interested in coming to help ... well, we can forget it. I’ll go and ask somebody else to help me. If you want to survive you have to go out and find out who your friends are.

I don’t think Australia, New Zealand and America should be critical be cause America has not done a damn thing even though they share the Pacific and are the world’s biggest power. If they’re not interested, well that’s bad luck.

People say you are in your natural element at the hustings. Are you look ing forward to the campaign? 1 enjoy every bit of it.

A PNG problem: Jailed OPM leader James Nyaro (cente) mith aides near the PNG-Indonesia border.