It’s either me or Somare: Yama

PEOPLE’S Labour Party (PLP) leader Peter Yama believes the next prime minister will still come from the Momase region, and he believes it will either be himself or Sir Michael Somare.
He wrote off the other three regions, saying they were so fragmented that they would have difficulty providing the numbers to have a candidate from their region succeed.
Mr Yama was speaking in Kamali village in Hula district of Central province over the weekend where he campaigned for PLP candidate Vali Asi.
Mr Yama said that PLP was well poised to take control of the Momase region, with the party fielding very strong candidates, including eight runners-up from the last election.
He said he was confident the region would provide the platform for him to claim the top post.
He told a big crowd last Saturday evening that in 2002, he helped Sir Michael, who was Opposition leader then, campaign hard to remove Sir Mekere Morauta and the People’s Democratic Movement party from Government.
He said after Sir Michael got in, he overlooked him and other experienced politicians and chose young politicians like Arthur Somare and Patrick Pruaitch for jobs in cabinet.
“I was sidelined in the backbench for five years,” Mr Yama said.
He said with Sir Michael fighting political enemies on all fronts, he had gained the upper hand by selecting candidates well to put a strong bid for the prime minister’s post.
He recounted his life story, rising from a school drop-out to get into the police force, and later leaving police with K300 to start a business which would grow to make him a powerful businessman with cash and assets worth millions of kina.
“I was raised and came up the hard way, and I’ve seen and tasted it all, from a businessman to senior cabinet minister (in Sir Julius Chan’s government).
“The only thing I had not tasted is the prime minister’s post, and I believe I will get that job this time around,” he said.
He said the Organic Law allowed only the leader of the party with the majority to form government, and he would be in contention next week.

 

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