O’Neill leading country in the right direction

 SINCE Prime Minister Peter O’Neill and Belden Namah dethroned Sir Michael Somare, I have been critical of O’Neill. 

His decisions and actions have been labelled as transformational and dictatorial to which  some observers saw  as  dangerous  to  our country. 

I call his leadership style transformational because he was doing unusual things that the law and Constitution forbid. 

Another description is dictatorial. 

It is evident that the national executive council (NEC)  is his rubberstamp while powerful state agencies, namely the police and the defence force, are under his control. 

The Task Force Sweep and now the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) are administrative instruments cleverly crafted by O’Neill to exercise his leadership and his decisions. 

The most powerful weapon he has is that of his political party (PNC) that claims nearly 50% of parliamentary seats; meaning he has control and command of the parliament. 

The political parties’ integrity law protects and promotes solidarity and comradeship. 

O’Neill has his party and co-associate backings, thus, he is destined to serve the full five-year as the prime minister up to 2017. 

Transformational and dictatorial  leadership styles are not bad things. 

They are good, healthy characters and this boils down to the ‘person factor’. 

Whether or not O’Neill is dictatorial at the NEC or in parliament, what matters most are his personal ambitions and intentions.

I am happy to say that O’Neill is heading in the right direction as I am beginning to see some sense in his leadership. 

He is not a new kid on the block; he has learned  that the nation has become prisoners of the system of government, its institutions, laws, procedures and processes. 

O’Neill was a rural, village kid and wants to transfer power and resources to the districts. 

The district authorities law is a clear manifestation  of O’Neill’s big picture and the law that empowers governors to appoint their provincial and  district  administrators  is  a good one. 

I support O’Neill’s rural-focused policies and enabling policies that bring money to the districts  and that give power to politicians to hire or fire non-performing public servants. 

O’Neill can run a guided democracy in this country because I can see some ray of hope through his leadership. 

I urge the present parliament to allow him to remain as prime minister if we are serious about our people and our country. 

Yapi Akore

Kagua-Erave