Respect the PM for what he has done

 I REFER to your front page news “PM steps aside” (The National, Dec 14). 

While I respect the rule of law and firmly believe that the PM and every PNG citizen is equal before the law, I believe that looking at Sir Michael Somare purely from a legal point of view is a fundamental misconception.

Everyone seemed to have become a legal expert and that the world revolved only around the law. 

Whatever is said and done in law is seen as the gospel truth. 

What is relevant is a systematic approach to analyse the issues at hand. 

This will allow us to employ a multi-disciplinary approach where an issue is dissected from all angles.

When we consider an issue at hand from various standpoints including legal, politics, economics, social, spiritual, etc, we can form an unbiased and objective view.

I fear history might repeat itself when Sir Michael was removed as PM in 1986 and, thereafter, relinquished Pangu Pati leadership to Sir Rabbie Namaliu. 

Sir Rabbie, whom a political scientist thought would better manage the country, soon ran into trouble when PNG was faced with the Bougainville crisis.

Many of our current politicians are desperate to become the next PM.

But do they have the material to lead the country?

When the going gets tough, we need a tough and highly nationalist leader to lead the more than six million Papua New Guineans.

I think PNG needs Sir Michael’s wisdom and guidance to unify PNG 

as one nation, one people and one solwara. 

Let us not push Sir Michael out of the equation.

When he stepped aside to face the leadership tribunal, many people are happy as if he is our number one enemy. 

If that was not enough, some people with vested interest are spreading lies that Sir Michael is dead (The National, Dec 20). 

If we cannot respect Sir Michael, I do not know how we are going to respect the other PMs.

Mamando Pain

Laiagam