Let’s watch ULP grow

THE birth of the United Labour Party (ULP) or rebirth of a labour-based political party like Pangu Pati but in a new alliance is just as it was in the founding of Pangu Pati.
It is also like the nascent workers movement in Papua New Guinea such as Oala Oala Rarua and Maori Kiki Hohola Welfare Association and Lae Workers Union and Toni Ila.
Now we have the PNG Trade Union Congress associate with the new United Labour Party as it was in the old.
So I leave you to connect the dots as we would have two workers-based parties namely Pangu Pati and ULP and People’s Labour Party (Peter Yama) within different context.
This labour movement on the centre left would pitch it in the political spectrum against conservative centre right parties in PNG such as the United Party, PPP, Country Party, National Party and PNC.
The rest of the political parties in Papua New Guinea would be either to the left or right of these two groupings or have to find their footing in the political ideology spectrum.
And getting back to ULP is its leader, Samuel H. Basil who has taken a unique opportunity and experience in PNG politics from 2015 until to date.
Sam Basil is playing unusual politics against the grain in Papua New Guinea.
He has been building numbers upwards unlike other political parties and personalities that see members of parliament (MPs) moving out.
From one-man Pangu Pati in 2014, it was built to two by 2015 and then to eight in the 2017 National Election and then 16 Pangu MPs in Opposition after the formation of the (Peter) O’Neill Government.
In 2018, Basil took 15 MPs to the Government, leaving behind Brian Kramer, Lino Tom and Sir Mekere Morauta.
Then, in 2019, friction between executives and himself saw Basil leaving Pangu on a sojourn which saw an equal split of eight in Pangu under MPs William Samb and Ginson Saonu, and to a stint at Melanesian Alliance.
They all declared themselves as Independents, none left for any other parties.
Clinging onto nine Independents, he was in the changing of the Prime Minister in May 2019 and, whilst many MPs from political parties have joined other political parties, he held onto his band of MPs for 6 months, which is unusual in PNG politics.
Until the launch of the United Labour Party, he has gained another two MPs in Dr Fabian Pok and Wesley Raminai.
So let’s watch his politics against the grain in PNG.
Congratulations to Sam Basil and the new United Labour Party, its executives and parliamentary wings.
Cheers!

Wilson Thompson, ML,
Accountant & Tax Agent,
President – Farmers & Settlers Association Inc