‘Chief was a giant among men’

STATE Enterprises Minister William Duma said during his tribute to the late Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare in Parliament regarding the country’s founding father as “a giant among men”.
Duma said late Sir Michael was a very special person and people like him came once in a lifetime.
He first met the late Sir Michael in 2000 as PNG Harbours Board deputy chairman.
Duma later joined him in Parliament after winning the 2002 National Election.
He said the late Grand Chief was a man with a great heart of forgiveness.
Duma was first appointed Environment and Conservation Minister under the late Sir Michael as Prime Minister although he was not a member of the initial Kokopo camp.

He, under the then Somare government, consolidated eight different pieces of legislation on environment matters and introduced one single law which became the Environment Act.
He said the first major resource projects to be processed under the new Environment Act was the Ramu nickel mine.
“It was through prime minister Somare’s leadership and support to then mining minister Sam Akoitai, that the Ramu Nickel Mine was opened after many years of planning and unnecessary delays, and its environment permit was issued by myself under the new Environment Act,” he said, adding that the Grand Chief also chaired the coalition of rainforest nations.

Duma was later appointed petroleum and energy minister in late Sir Michael’s coalition government from 2006-2011.
“I worked closely under his leadership to ensure that the transformational US$19 billion (K67bil) PNG LNG Project became a reality, resulting in Papua New Guinea (PNG) joining the exclusive worldwide family of LNG producing nations,” he said.
“I recall many occasions during the negotiations for this resource project when I responded to his call ‘Duma, I need you to help me on this’.”
Duma said while serving nine hard and long years under Sir Michael, he did not witness the Grand Chief pushing and approving Cabinet submissions and proposals which would benefit himself personally or his family or appoint his wantok to high positions.
He said the Grand Chief was the main architect of the PNG that “we all know today, something that would not have been possible without his drive and determination”.
“He was the Constitutional Planning Committee chairman as the chief minister in 1974 which provided the foundation of our home-grown Constitution,” he said.

“Our home-grown Constitution is still regarded as one of the best in the world.
“His vision for the country’s self-governance and Independence inspired others to help him make this dream a reality.”
Duma said he remembered Sir Michael as his prime minister, boss, friend and mentor.
“Although we were members of different political parties, he was a father figure to all those of us who entered the political arena in the last two decades,” he said.
“It was a real privilege to work with and for a great and special leader who had such a breadth of understanding of all aspects of government and how to get Members of Parliament from all regions of the country to work together for a common cause.”
Duma said the late Sir Michael was a living encyclopaedia of PNG history, both pre-independence and post-independence.
“He has, unfortunately, taken all these with him. His passing really is the end of an era for PNG.”