Grand Chief did a lot for us

MANY fine tributes were paid to the father of the nation, Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare.
Sir Michael was the father of the nation in more ways than one.
He was the founding prime minister of Papua New Guinea.
But what’s very special about him was the fact that he was able to compromise and accommodate the conflicting interests of this very diverse nation. Sir Michael was ably assisted by amazing politicians from all around the country, each making an undeniable contribution.
Credit goes to Sir Michael for enabling able politicians to feel free to plan and execute great projects.
Credit should be given to Australian politicians for hastening the handover of political administration.
Comparing Sir Michael with the performance of Asian first-time leaders, it is clear that he was able to appreciate the needs of communities in New Guinea and Papua, highlands, lowlands and islands.
He did not favour one section of the country.
Many African and Asian leaders did not have the talent for that.
They followed policies which favoured the community they came from, which created discord among the people.
Sir Michael was responsible for creating the idea of provincial governments and lower levels of government.
He realised the need for each region to exercise power and create its own version of exercising power.
This resulted in admirable developments in the provinces with each of them planning and executing its own development programme.
Thanks to Sir Michael, PNG can claim to be truly democratic as everyone is allowed to contribute meaningfully to society.
There will be disappointments in many areas in terms of development but it is understandable that funds are short in supply in most countries.
The high cost of sharing power is balanced by a peaceful country.
There’s a lot more to be done but PNG is making progress.
We should acknowledge the Australians who made significant contributions to our country.
One in particular was British New Guinea governor Sir William McGregor who created a land law which stipulated that land belonged to the people who lived on it.
This is unusual for a British colony.
Sir William created a similar law in Fiji.
This is unique.
We should acknowledge that.

Ajit Muttu