Rabaul turns another page

Weekender

By ALPHONSE BARIASI
ON the afternoon of Friday, June 30, 2002 at the Malaguna Technical School hall in Rabaul, Dr Allan Marat made history in ending the reign of firebrand Mataungan leader Sir John Kaputin. Thus one long political career came to a close.
On the afternoon of Thursday, July 19, 2022 at the same location and under the same circumstances Dr Allan Marat was beaten with just three votes by Graham Penias Rumet. So ended another two-decades old political career in the Rabaul Open electorate.
The MP-elect is no stranger to Rabaul politics. As far as the famous Mataungan Association in those restive colonial days goes, Rumet was only a lad but somehow caught in the passion of his father’s peers in Sir John Kaputin, Damien Kereku, Oscar Tammur, and others.

The National’s front page story on July 1, 2002 detailing the loss of long-serving MP Sir John Kaputin to Dr Allan Marat.

Now he is entrusted with leading Rabaul people into another political era. At least the first five years of that is guaranteed.
As reported in the media, Dr Allan Marat, in his true nature, graciously accepted defeat on Wednesday afternoon making way for the new man.
Sir John Kaputin who held the office of the Member of Rabaul since the House of Assembly in 1972, had over the course of his adult life, became a veritable global citizen. Would it have come as a surprise that the electorate which had faithfully given him their mandate should finally decide to get someone else who would spend more time at home, concerning himself with rebuilding a volcano-devastated town, for instance?
As a voter personally, the 2002 election was very good as my choices in Marat and regional candidate Leo Dion won their respective seats.
As The National’s then Rabaul bureau chief, I had the privilege of filing the story of what was a big upset win in the 2022 national election. The story had been touched up by veteran copy editor, the late Ian Boden who had far better local knowledge of Mataungan and East New Britain politics than the writer.
These then were the opening lines of the story.

Rabaul returning officer in 2017 Ekonia Walum signing the declaration after Dr Marat won the seat for the fourth time. This week he lost the seat in a very tight race.

One of the most colourful political careers, spanning three decades, came on to a sad end on Saturday (June 29,2002) when Sir John Kaputin lost his Rabaul Open seat.
His loss to prominent lawyer Dr Allan Marat by almost 4,500 votes was an outright rejection by the electorate, which first elected the firebrand Mataungan leader to the House of Assembly in 1972.
Returning office Norman Stanley declared Dr Marat, a People’s Progress Party candidate, the winner with 6,349 votes to Sir John’s 1,859 votes at 5pm after a marathon count that started after midnight the previous evening. A People’s Democratic Movement candidate, John Topeon, came third with 1,426 votes.
Sir John’s fate was decided at the outset when Dr Marat collected 137 votes to his 101 in the first ballot box from Baii village, one of the traditional strongholds for the incumbent.

The Weekender story by the late Yehiura Hriewhazi on Marat on July 5, 2002.
Graham Piniau Rumet: 2022

Dr Marat maintained his lead throughout, collecting over a hundred votes from most of the polling areas. His highest votes were collected from his stronghold of Nonga, Tavui 1, Tavui 2 and Tavui 3 villages. But on Watom island, he collected 858 of the 1,016 votes while Sir John received only 15 votes from an area that had previously favoured him.
Dr Mara’t election committee chairman Ronnie Kalulu said the outcome was not only a victory for Dr Marat but also a rejection of Sir John.
“The people have rejected him,” said Mr Kalulu, who had challenged Sir John in the 1992 election.
Meanwhile, another East New Britain knight, Kokopo MP Sir Rabbie Namaliu, has retained his seat by a comfortable margin.
The runner-up was Patrick Tammur, the son of a former House of Assembly member and another Mataungan strongman, the late Oscar Tammur.
Sir Rabbie collected 5,816 votes to Mr Tammur’s 3,572 votes. Joe Ben Kuini was third with 3,144 votes. After signing his declaration papers, Sir Rabbie paid tribute to Sir John for his contribution to the province and country.
“Sir John has spent his entire adult working life serving our nation.”
Sir Rabbie said Sir John had contributed in a “hugely distinguished fashion” that may not be understood at the local level.
The National’s editor in chief then, the late Yehiura Hriewhazi also wrote a Weekender article on Dr Marat following his first election victory.
“Every turn the lawyer took in life brought success and high achievement,” Hriewhazi wrote.
“He stands as a centre-guard basketballer and displays a great sense of humility and respect for others. Today, he is the second MP for Rabaul since the first Parliament.
“He is a member of the exclusive club of international academics that comprises graduate doctors from Oxford University.”
In 2017, as leader of the Melanesian Liberal Party, Marat won his fourth term. Journalist Elizabeth Vuvu reported that Marat, who was up against seven other candidates, stated after the declaration that his victory was a “gift from God” and for the people of Rabaul.
“This victory is for all of us,” he had said.
“I am not going to say whether I will be in government or opposition, but when the time comes, I will let you know,” he told a crowd gathered at the Malaguna Technical School hall to witness his declaration.
“With the formation of the new government, all I can undertake to do is to be a good leader and to continue to display quality leadership for the people of Rababul district on the floor of parliament.
“I want to assure voters who did not cast one vote for me that God’s will is that I do not disown you because this victory is for all the people in the district, whether you like it or not.”
Marat first won in 2002 by 6,349 votes to Sir John’s 1,859. Marat lost his fifth election this week by just three votes, polling 5,189 to Rumet’s 5,192.
Following his rare act in PNG politics to humbly accept defeat, many Papua New Guineans have gone on social media to commend this truly humble giant whose presence in Parliament will be missed.
One commentator on Facebook said this: “At a United Church Urban Region evangelism committee meeting he was seated humbly amongst very lowly church members at the Metoreia Urban Region office. When he was accorded a moment to share his heart about evangelisation in PNG towns, he spoke softly but with stirring passion.
“He hinted amongst his few words that he saw himself as a ‘prophet’ called to the National Parliament for the last 20 years to be a voice of God in the highest secular institution of the land. I simply believed him because I have seen and heard him speak in the House, too.
“Today, losing by only three votes to his successor when he is allowed to demand a recount by law in order to test the accuracy of the counts, he silently shied away from that entitlement, choosing instead to extend a never-seen-before gesture in rivalry-ridden PNG politics to congratulate his colleague. What a sight to behold, PNG!”
Dr Allan Marat has served Rabaul and PNG very well and stands out as a rare politician in my humble opinion. He could have asked for a recount of the ballots but chose not to.
As in the case of the man he had unseated in 2022, Marat has contributed in a distinguished fashion that may not have been understood or appreciated at the local level.
But in the end they sang and danced at the declaration of their new MP, closing one page of their political history.
Other electorates in PNG could learn a thing or two about stable leadership and democratic elections from Rabaul.