Humility comes before honour

IF there is anybody to be blamed for the current political crisis, it has to be the so-called advisers of Sir Michael Somare.
Whoever they are should be ashamed for gi­ving Sir Michael poor advice which led to the current chaos.
The turn of events was not an overnight occurrence and we cannot blame the Aug 2 event.
It was the culmination of actions made during the past three years.
Firstly, Sir Michael was advised to choose Sir Puka Temu as deputy prime minister in­stead of Don Polye who led the highest number of NA MPs in the last election.
When Sir Puka defected, Sir Michael corrected the error and elevated  Polye as deputy prime minister.
Then he dumped Polye in favour of Sam Abal as his deputy before seeking me­dical treatment in Singapore.
As acting prime minister, Abal was also advised to dump Polye.
However, Polye show­ed humility and maturity by staying cool and logical-thinking people in the NA voted for him to be their leader at the height of the fall-out.
He led this group to form a new government and was given the Finance and Treasury portfolio under the O’Neill government.
Had Sir Michael stop­ped listening to such ill advice and allowed Polye to remain deputy prime minister and acting prime mi­nister while he was on sick leave, the current crisis would not have occurred.
Now that the mess created has been settled, I humbly urge Sir Michael to retire from politics and enjoy peace and rest that he deserves.
Chief, your health is your wealth, so please look after yourself.
Remember that humility comes before honour. You will be honoured and remembered if you gracefully quit politics.

Johnny Wemin
Ramu Valley