Chief with an uncompromising agenda

COVER STORY

Dulciana Somare-Brash speaks fondly about her father’s dream for a united country at the third anniversary of his passing. Below are parts of her speech at the vigil held in Port Moresby on Monday, Feb 26.

“MY dear father was a man of short stature, but a giant in terms of the priceless gifts he would leave for us all as citizens of an independent nation.”
Dulciana Somare- Brash shared those words as she joined others from far and wide on Feb 26, to celebrate the life of her late father, Great Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare.
Late Sir Michael died at the age of 84 on Feb 26, three years ago after being diagnosed with a late stage pancreatic cancer at a hospital in Port Moresby.
Speaking during a special candlelight vigil marking the third death anniversary, Dulciana paid homage to her mother, Lady Veronica. She has been her father’s partner for 58 years.
“The rock solid team member (Lady Veronica) who had supported him (Sir Michael) in their pre- colonial story, their adventure as young parents, their adventure later on as the parents of this country. But most significantly, my mother maintains stability on the promise of family unity so that my father could do his work and carry out with honesty and decency and the practice of family always at home first.
“My mother can’t be here today; she is at home in Wewak today (Feb 26) celebrating with my older siblings.

National loss
“On this date three years ago, we all experienced the loss so great, the entire nation stopped to remember one individual. My father was a fierce nationalist and an eternal diplomat when it comes to facilitating the global regional dialogue and multi-lateral support for his people and country.
“On Feb 26, three years ago at his passing, we were all challenged as Papua New Guineans to give new meaning to a journey of new freedom my father spearheaded in our name.
“Without knowing us individually, he understood us as a group. Without charting a specific path, he chiseled a destiny that he urged us all to champion throughout his life. He wanted us to taste the victory of expression without hindrance.
“Leading this country as chief minister and prime minister on four separate occasions, my dear father’s own experiences of oppression, coercion and external control drove his curiosity for autonomy choice and ultimately self-determination.
“His public life spanned over six decades. Papua New Guinea will only be independent for five decades next year.
This alone must always prompt us to remember that the effort and processes to secure the trust to be granted the political freedoms and civic protections for our indigenous people from our colonial masters began well before independence. It began with ideas of individual rights, liberties and opportunities.
“I know my father loved the idea of fostering the capacity to make decisions. He was fascinated with the pursuit of personal aspirations. The negative experiences of his own youth seemed to force him to make a promise before the age of 30 that he would ensure that his people would enjoy the benefit and the ability to live without fear and division.

Robust networks and relationships
“My father was a just person and therefore he drove an uncompromising agenda to institutionalise the core values of a just and fair society. My father’s childhood and early life was hatched with so many basic obstacles that we will never have to face again as indigenous people. My father built robust networks and relationships to house and share the strong sense of empowerment and equality.
“As we reflect today the life of Sir Michael Somare, we must remember that our forefathers and mothers were young people who didn’t benefit from the education they gave us. These were men and women much younger than our leaders of today, who demonstrated that their fight was bigger than the restriction of colonial powers. The journey constituted a passage from one era to another involving exploration and experiences that helped shaped and transformed this country.
“In the last six months we have tested each other on this journey as fellow citizens, we have pushed boundaries and meddled in pursuits unbecoming of a nation anxious to grow and progress.

“We have taken pit stops in this journey ahead of time and we have traveled in directions we must never revisit again. In our turmoil in recent months, I’m sure if my father was here he would say these conflicts can only be appeased by peaceful means. Use words tactfully and responsibly.
“My father was a fearless warrior with nerves of steel and yet a physical presence so warm and tender that even now we remember him in ways so diverse. He was a sincere gentleman despite his fame and influence.”
Late Sir Michael Somare was pivotal in achieving independence for Papua New Guinea in 1975, a milestone that marked the beginning of our journey as a sovereign nation.
Born on April 9, 1936, in Rabaul, East New Britain, Sir Michael grew up in Karau village, Murik Lakes, East Sepik.
From 1942 to 1944, he attended a Japanese-run school during World War II in his early school days.
In 1946 he attended Boram Primary School, Dregerhafen education centre and Sogeri High School, where he graduated with a Victorian Leaving Certificate in 1957.
After leaving school, he taught at various primary and secondary schools, which included Utu High School in New Ireland and Tusbab High School in Madang.

He returned to Sogeri High School in 1962 for further training and resumed his teaching career the following year.
He went on to attend the Administrative College in Port Moresby in 1965, where he became a member of the Bully Beef Club, from which emerged Papua New Guinea’s first locally initiated political party, Pangu Pati.
In 1968, he was elected to the House of Assembly, becoming leader of the parliamentary Pangu Pati and pressing the party’s demand for independence.
He was re-elected in 1972 and became chief minister of a coalition government and a member of a Select Committee on Constitutional Development. With the election of the Whitlam government in Australia in 1972, the pace of movement to independence accelerated; self-government was granted the following year.
Apart from his political career, Sir Michael Somare was a strong advocate of Papua New Guinea’s rich culture.
He underwent initiation and took the title of Sana from his father’s line.