O’Neill did many good things for the country

Letters

IALIBU-PANGIA MP Peter Paire O’Neill is the maker and breaker of political parties.
His political ingenuity is legendary as his business escapades.
He was born as Paire in Melipini, Muamune council ward to Brian O’Neill, an Australian-born magistrate of partial Irish descent and a local mother, Awambo Yari, from Pangia, Southern Highlands.
O’Neill was educated at the Pangia Primary School, Ialibu High School and Goroka High School.
After leaving high school, he received a bachelor of accountancy and commerce from the University of Papua New Guinea in 1986.
Armed with an accounting degree and as a certified accountant, O’Neill set off to become a successful businessman.
At the young age of 22, he was already a director and shareholder of Trans PNG Services Pty Ltd in 1987.
But first, he needed to make his bones in accounting.
A profession he loved.
After a short stint though, but respectful business acquaintance with Coopers and Lybrand – a reputable Australian accounting firm now PricewaterhouseCoopers – O’Neill set off again to really get a bite on something he himself can get his hands on.
He decided to start his own accounting firm, Pratley and O’Neill, with friend and business partner Maurice Pratley.
That was enough for O’Neill to venture out into the uncharted waters of the corporate world and stamp his own mark.
His business ventures provided thousands of jobs and income for families.
His foundation took care of many disadvantaged families in medical care, school fees, housing and has assisted many people in their life challenges .
O’Neill likes to relate to people.
He speaks several languages fluently, let alone his local vernacular, Imbonggu and Wiru with the perfection of a local raconteur.
He enjoys the challenge of figuring out what people are really after. His analytical mind is always skeptical of surface truth and he believes in nothing he is told and trusts no one.
His motto is “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer”.
Some political pundits say if the late Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare is the father of our nation, then O’Neill is the epitome of infrastructure investment.
During his reign, he provided exactly what mattered in people’s lives and on the broader scale, he did what mattered for the country.
With his investment shrewdness, he took calculated risks for greater returns and that included loans with surgical precision to stimulate the economy and for infrastructure development.
Politics is the game he plays and plays so well.O’Neill pulled through some of the smartest political coups, government formations and events of national and international grandeur with the ingenuity, grace and ease that always makes it look so simple like a child’s play.
Today, leaders complain about mistakes of past governments and the impacts of the Covid-19 on the economy, yet they could do nothing.
O’Neill was at the helm of navigating a country plunged by high inflation – coupled by rising debt – as a result of low commodity prices with export returns so low yet he spoke not a word but went to work.
As an astute businessman, he knew how to read the indicators and saw PNG’s revenue base was solid enough and capable of providing long-term repayment of the country’s debt as it was since Independence.
He saw that more foreign investment would create more jobs and drive growth.
His vision was simple; broaden our revenue base; live within our means; continue to make better use of our domestically produced resources; and continue to improve our resilience to economic shocks.

David Lepi

7 comments

  • Well done Peter O’Neil for successfully delivering to the people of PNG the much needed infrastructural developments in terms of hospitals, airports, wharves, roads, university etc…..You have achieved a lot for the people of PNG.

  • Thank you David Lepi for a bit of history on Peter O’neill.

    However, you story is one sided. Mero Dikana sums it up correctly. What about corruption???

    • Corruption is a word used so loosely in this country. If O’Neill was corrupt as per the corruption allegations labelled against him before the change of government he would have been behind bars by now.

      Let me allude to you how corruption is fought. It is what you can produce in court and what you think. 2 weeks after the formation of the O’Neill-Namah government in 2011 the infamous ‘kitchen cabinet’ of the NA regime found their way to court.

      After 3 months 9 ended up in prison including the former Planning Minister Paul Tiensten. That is how corruption is fought swiftly and boldly.

      Who did it? O’Neill did it.

      The kingpin to some of the serious allegations refused to contest the Angoram Open 2012 in fear of prosecution.

      You see that is how corruption is fought. My next article will be on O’Neill’s effort on fighting corruption.

      O’Neill doesn’t talk much. He allows his action to speak for him.

  • Peter O’Neill, you are down but not yet out. This country needs you one more time to be at the helm to lead the country forward . I have been very impressed with your style of leadership and your ability to respond and address many issues of national and international standing.

  • The UBS loan currently being investigated by the Commission of Inquiry was one of the bad decisions made by O’Neil Government. It is a huge amount of money given away like that. So O’Neil is not to me falls short of an al-round good leader, though he has some good qualities.

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