Michael Thomas Somare
TODAY we salute a remarkable man on a remarkable occasion. There will be many stories and many accounts of The Chief in this edition of The National.
Even the title “The Chief” operates on two levels.
The first and the most important to Sir Michael is his position among his own people, a mark of his assumption of a traditional leadership role.
The second meaning came as a companion to the remarkable leadership he has exercised in the modern history of our nation.
The Chief has long been at the helm of Papua New Guinea.
In many ways he became identified with the nation, so much so that for a generation, it was impossible to think about our country without thinking about Sir Michael.
In the same way as Lee Kuan Yew and Singapore became synonymous for 31 years of that city state, so Michael Somare came to symbolise our nation.
Many, perhaps now the bulk of our people, were not present at the Sir Hubert Murray Stadium when the PNG flag rose triumphantly on the sultry afternoon of Sept 16, 1975.
This September will mark the beginning of the 34th year since that event took place.
For many, Sir Michael is the symbolic father of our nation.
The Prime Minister would be the first to deny that he created PNG.
His great skill lay in leading a group of determined young men in a movement that could have ended in one of two ways – widespread apathy on the part of our traditionally conservative people, an apathy brought about by both ignorance and fear; or the creation of the foundation of a new nation.
Sir Michael and the diverse talents of the Bully Beef Club succeeded in laying that foundation.
But they achieved much more.
For not only was the firm base of a new nation in place, but that new entity itself rapidly became a reality, the independent state of Papua New Guinea.
Many of those leaders are now dead – men such as Sir Albert Maori Kiki, Oala Oala Rarua, Gavera Rea, Sir Paul Lapun and Sir Anthony Siaguru.
Those men and dozens of others such as Boyamo Sali, Tony Voutas, Sir Pita Lus, Sir Barry Holloway and John Nilkare were to shape the nation we have today.
Most of those leaders who are still with us will acknowledge that Sir Michael’s 40 years of parliamentary membership have provided a focal point for much that is positive in our nation today.
It would have been very easy for the young Michael Somare to nudge the fledgling nation into guided democracy and beyond.
Our country might have become a Pacific Zimbabwe, where long unbroken rule has led to economic, political and social disaster. But that was never the Pacific way.
Sir Michael and his long time companion and close friend, Fiji’s Ratu Sir Kamesese Mara, believed in freedom, the kind of freedom in which they saw becoming resilient, proud and honourable citizens of the world.
Today, we celebrate the remarkable achievements of one of the democratic world’s longest freely-elected political careers.
To mark the new millennium, The National published an 84-page supplement featuring the thoughts of the leaders of the day.
Sir Mekere Morauta was the new prime minister and Sir Anthony had become president of the anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International.
And Sir Michael?
The Chief was there as minister for foreign affairs.
He has always been a man of action, and his words have been those of the people – simple, direct and accessible to his listeners.
As 2000 dawned he said: “When I first entered politics in 1968, I had this vision that all good things will work out for Papua New Guinea ... my vision was for Papua New Guineans to run the affairs of their own country ... what is needed today is for Papua New Guinea to change its attitude towards everything, and for us to build on our established foundations.”
Today, once more, Sir Michael leads the country and has the rare chance, as 40 years come to a close, to bring to fruition that lifelong vision.
We extend our congratulations to him on this, his 40th anniversary as a leader and a statesman.
 
Aussie drought leaves grain silos empty
AS the BBC looks at the impact of rising food prices around the world, Sydney correspondent Nick Bryant reports from Australia on how the worst drought on record has slashed its exports of wheat.

SYDNEY: Though located in a remote corner of the planet, the fields of Australia’s food bowl are central to the worldwide price of wheat.
In parts of rural New South Wales, water-starved farms and cavernous empty grain silos have the potential to create a ripple effect which spreads around the globe.
And that is precisely what is happening right now.
After the United States, Australia is normally the second largest exporter of grain, and in a good year, it would hope to harvest about 25 million tonnes.
But the country remains in the grip of the worst drought in a century, which is why the 2006 crop yielded only 9.8 million tonnes.
Global wheat stocks are at their lowest levels since 1979, and the ongoing Australian drought is one of the reasons why.
To get a sense of the scale of the problem, I visited the Tottenham, a small agriculture community in rural NSW, about a five-hour drive from Sydney, which is home to a massive grain storage complex.
Its most impressive silo looks like a space-age dome and has an interior the size of a medieval cathedral.
Now it feels like a
giant echo chamber.
Normally at this time of the year, it would be half-full of grain, much of it waiting for export. But now it is virtually empty.
The grain scattered on its floor would not even fill a single bag.
There is a bunker outside which is the size of two football fields, which boasts an even larger capacity.
Again, it is only a tenth full.
It provides a vivid snapshot of the problem confronting Australian farmers and their customers around the world.
At the very moment when the emerging giants, India and China, are looking to this part of the world to satisfy their food needs, the Australian food bowl is unable to deliver.
George Grieg has been farming the land near Tottenham for nearly 50 years, and has rarely known it so bad.
Last year’s crop amounted to a third of his normal harvest.
The year before was even worse – a sixth.
For the past two years, he has not even managed to recoup the costs of planting and nurturing his acreage.
The sums simply do not add up, and many farmers are being forced into greater debt at a time when interest rates in Australia are at a 12-year high.
At least a wet southern summer has given them hope of a better crop this time round.
And given that global wheat prices are so high, it is tempting for farmers to borrow more in their hope that their gamble pays off with a bumper harvest.
“It really is back to the bank manager,” George says, explaining how that conversation will now go: “‘OK, this is THE crop. Everyone is talking it up. Let’s have a go at it’.
“But it’s borrowed money that’s doing it.
“And if it doesn’t come off and there are too many more (poor years), then you have to sell the farm’.”
But who is going to buy the farms?
“There are already two or three farms in the district which are up for sale and should have been sold.
“But people just don’t have the money to buy them,” George explains.
With global wheat prices at record highs, one bumper crop would alleviate much of the financial burden and help many local farmers pay off their debts.
But their hopes have been dashed before.
Last year saw one of the best starts to a growing season for years, but dry weather in recent weeks has forced the Australian government to slash its crop forecasts by 30%. – BBC
Editorial