Polye shows support for Somare

DEPUTY Prime Minister Don Polye had to cancel a week-long tour of his electorate and return to Port Moresby after reading a Post-Courier report that Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare had lost his court challenge and could be referred to the Public Prosecutor at any time.
Polye was in Wabag and was set to drive into Kandep to begin his electorate tour, starting with the graduation at Kandep High School, when he was contacted about the front page article.
He cancelled his trip, and instructed his staff to represent him at the graduation, while he returned to Port Moresby.
“The prime minister is a close and loyal friend. When he is going through such challenges, I’m duty bound to be close to him, to give him my full support. We are friends. We stand by each other in good and in bad times,” he told The National.
When Polye was briefly ousted by the national court as MP for Kandep, Sir Michael found time to fly into Kandep to campaign for him in the by-election.
Their comradeship goes back to 2002, when Sir Michael, as opposition leader, kept the people of Wapenamanda waiting by choosing to fly by chopper into Kandep first to campaign for Polye, before coming to Wapenamanda for Masket Iangalio.
Polye got elected, and Iangalio lost, and the National Alliance won government on the strength of this friendship forged in the highlands.