Goodbye my beloved PNG

Weekender

“TODAY, I stand here as an optimistic Papua New Guinean proud of our many accomplishments as a nation. We progressed through many waves and changes in the world. We survived our own bad decisions and we have united at times when the world thought it was not possible to do so. We must be thankful and we must always count our blessings!
In my lifetime, I witnessed the end of WWII in 1942. I was only 6 years old. I remember being taught Japanese in a school run by ol Siapan. I remember being carried as a child in the mangrove away from bombs and crossfire between enemies.
My father Ludwig Sana Somare was a policeman who allowed me to progress with some education. I was competitive. I studied all the way into secondary school and I was awarded an Australian scholarship.  I forfeited that scholarship to pursue my political ambitions.
During the 1950’s we were all officially labeled as “ native” people. I was a teenager attending school learning about the history of the world through western eyes.  At that time I began to understand the importance of defining our own history. I would later become a radio announcer where I had the chance to tell our story as indigenous people.
During this time I was not referred to by my name, instead I was given a serial number in the Australian colonial territory where I once held an Australian passport. We had few rights and our opinions were given to us.
Mr Speaker, many things have changed and I hope that in 100 years from now Papua New Guineans will realize the importance of being an independent country. I knew that if we were free to decide for ourselves our people could participate in the process of development and democracy that would suit our culture and our ways of being.
Today many issues remain prominent. Our land is still our pride. Our languages and customs remain distinct and our innate sense of familial ties and kinship networks underpins the democracy that keeps this system from collapsing.
In my lifetime we went from being secret indigenous political activists in the Bully Beef Club to being members of our first House of Assembly. In this lifetime, we went from being Australian subjects to becoming PNG citizens.
We moved from being self-governing to gaining full independence. Many observers did not think we could do it. I always felt they were wrong. I refused to hear that we ‘the natives’ were not capable or ready.
I still believe that.
I was not one to be fearful. I was not good at telling lies to my own people nor could I lie to colonisers. So I was always in trouble somehow.
I have reflected on this day often and I must admit I did not want to imagine my life outside of this institution.
There are many things I want to say but in the interest of time I will say only a few words, as it is not easy for me to say goodbye to you all.
I chose a life of challenges and service to my people.  I have always respected the true meaning public service so I lived my professional career that way. I started as a teacher and I was once an information officer, I was lucky enough to be a radio broadcaster and that gave me the platform to convince a territory that we must become a country.
I have had my share of political activism.   I have also had my share of great power and great responsibility.
I did not know what today would feel like to say my last farewell to this mighty house that delivered on the many promises we had for our people over the years.
From 1984 when we moved to this parliament house that was partly a gift from the Australian government …..we had also moved into an era of change where we could decide for ourselves the future of this country.
We experienced political instability and sometimes turmoil. I have had my share of political challenges and I benefited from a concentration of political support.  I am grateful and I feel blessed.
It is on this very floor that we dreamed of a future and we regularly came together as MPs to support bills that became law. It is in our conference rooms here that I spearheaded many press conferences sharing good news with my people and yes many times I was forced to share bad news with them.
It is this floor that decided my fate as a leader throughout my career.  I have sat on both sides of this parliament in government as the leader and in opposition as its leader.
In fact my 2 brothers and lifelong peers Sir Julius Chan and Paias Wingti both forced me to become the Opposition Leader when I was quite happy as the Prime Minister after 2 successful votes of no confidence that I lost on this very floor of parliament.
When I was a younger man I imagined that if I fought hard enough, and if I spoke loud enough, or if I protested against colonial masters that my dreams for this land and our people would come to life. I am glad to say that my battles were not in vain.
We once prospered with proceeds from Agriculture then we managed to benefit from proceeds from our mineral riches, but all the time we prospered because we worked together. We believed in our individuality yet we practiced national unity. I am proud to be called the father of this nation.
Even though many of you refer to me as ‘the young fellow’ I walk assisted by a walking stick and these long parliamentary halls that I used to be able to walk briskly around no longer have the same appeal.
Mr Speaker, when candidates go to their people and ask for electoral support they are asking to be placed legitimately in this great house.  Those aspiring leaders are asking for their people to let them become legislators who propose bills for passage into law.  They are not asking to be public finance managers or guardians of public funds, they are asking their people to give them the mandate to provide goods and services to them.
We must remember that when we swear on the bible at Government House once we are elected that we are promising to be servants to our people.
It is important to be fit and healthy in this house to know the importance of the parliamentary system and its operations. When I look back I wish for the Parliamentary Accounts Committees role to be revived. I wonder about bipartisanship and the old days when the Opposition and Government combined on issues of national importance.
I hope that Hansard will be recorded daily when parliament is in session. And I pray that members of parliament will always be present in this house when parliament is in session to provide quorum so our peoples development needs and challenges can be assessed and improved based on available resources.
Mr Speaker, this parliament is the 9th there will be a 10th and parliament will continue to operate long after I am gone. But this will only happen if we let rules determine our behaviour.
We must allow the legislature to mature according to the strict rules and traditions defined in the parliamentary Standing Orders. The Standing Orders must be the only bible on this floor!
The Westminster system of government that we adopted at independence provides in principle a valuable tradition of a separation of powers that guarantees independence amongst the core institutions of state.
These institutions are:
The legislature (which is Parliament),
The Executive (which are Cabinet and the public service)
The Judiciary (which is the Courts).
Mr Speaker, I have a parting wish for new leaders and those of you who will be returned. I want each of you to learn what the Westminster system of government is designed to achieve.
Democracy has a framework and practices that must complement each other. This is not a new concept.
I want you to learn about the importance of the separation of powers. You must all know the role of the courts to set precedents. Their role is also to build case law. But this requires citizens or the aggrieved to file cases where civil or criminal breaches occur in our society.  To the MPs you must learn what the role of the parliament is. This is a law-making body. We also enact laws here.
These separations must be clear as you all contest for a seat in this house. Once you are here you will not have a handbook to guide your plans or your priorities. It is up to you to learn the rules and respect them throughout your term in parliament. You must also honour the rules of our kastoms and those traditions. The traditions of our Christian faith are equally important.
From 2002 when the economists and technical experts modeled our economy on the benefits that could be derived for our people; we trusted that the system would process our intentions through the various policy and legislative frameworks that we had commissioned.
At that time I wanted our institutions to be strong enough to handle the amount of money we were going to make from the sale of our oil and gas. In my time democracy and the technical advice of qualified public servants who led our departments determined all my public policy decisions.
I wanted investors to come here again to this land of riches. I knew we needed the political will to translate to political stability. We wanted to create a safe regulatory environment for foreign investors. But even more importantly, I wanted Papua New Guineans to enjoy the benefits of the riches of this country.
In the years between 2002-2011 we worked hard to bring the budget to surplus.   We ensured that foreign reserves were topped up as we made sure that earnings on imports were balanced with the need to keep our currency and exchange rate buoyant and realistic. So that the cost of living pressures would not exceed the ability of Papua New Guinean families to afford to live with dignity.
Policies are the way of the future in PNG. We must rely on rules and we must always work to improve them. Our political party system requires reform so that the parties reflect the challenges and needs of our people.  Political parties must plan to prioritise the needs of Papua New Guineans first. This will translate to service delivery and institutional capacity and governance. Law and order will benefit from rules and public tenders and other social standards will improve if we honour and worship rules of our adopted system as much as we honour and worship our Christian principles in this country.
As I say there are many things to discuss here today. I bid you all farewell and say this. I am a man of principle. This rule has determined my conduct throughout my life. I am blessed with a woman who has been my friend and my guide since we were both young people. We have 6 children who trust us because we built that trust by respecting them as they were growing up. We have grandchildren who we think of when we make our private and public decisions.  I hope Papua New Guineans will find their own ways to live and trust and care for their family units. I tried to do that my whole life and I think my family can be proud of that.
To generations of Papua New Guineans that believed in me, I thank you for your love and affection. I gave my best years to this country and I hope you will each find the grace to continue our dream for our great nation Papua New Guinea.”