Vale Sir Rabbie

PAPUA New Guinea lost one of its former Prime Minister and Kokopo MP Sir Rabbie Namaliu on Friday evening.
He represented the people of East New Britain well but to his family, he is a father, uncle, grandfather and a sibling.
It is the loss of a brother or sister who shared a unique co-history with you.
Sir Rabbie shared common memories, along with critical childhood experiences and family history.
Sir Rabbie is the son of Darius Namaliu and Utul Joan Namaliu.
He was born in April 3, 1946 at Vatnabar in the Duke of York Islands when his father Darius and mother Joan worked as a missionary for United Church there.
He started his primary education at Raluana primary school.
After finishing his primary education in Raluana, he continued to Vunamami Farmers Training Center which is used to be a feeder school for Kerevat National High School.
Sir Rabbie completed his secondary education at Kerevat NHS in 1966.
Sir Rabbie was a first Papua New Guinean to be given a scholarship where he went to University of British Colombia in Canada.
He studied there for two years and completed his master degree programme.
He is the eldest of seven siblings (three brothers and four sisters).
His cousin brother Andrew Ilam who worked for him during his time in the politics said he is East New Britain’s pride, he was the PNG’s fourth PM for PNG but for us Raluana, Kokopo and ENB as whole he was the first.
He said many people asked him to contest again in the general election but he refused, he has that principal that if his was defeated he is not going to contest again.
Sir Rabbie holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree from UPNG, and a Master of Arts (MA) degree from the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada and an Honorary Doctor of Laws (HON.LLD) from the same University.
Sir Rabbie had a notable public service career before entering Parliament in 1982.
Prior to his political career he was an academic in the field of political science at the University of Papua New Guinea.
After Papua New Guinea’s independence in 1975, Sir Rabbie was one of four leading civil servants, together with late Sir Mekere Morauta, late Sir Anthony Siaguru and Sir Charles Lepani who led the formation of public administration and public policy in PNG’s immediate post-independence years.
They were often called “Gang of Four”.
Before becoming prime minister, he served as foreign minister for the first time, from 1982 to 1984, by this time beginning his long alliance with Michael Somare, who was prime minister at that time and served as foreign minister while Sir Rabbie was prime minister. He was appointed foreign minister in 2002, as part of the National Alliance Party government of Michael Somare.
He served as foreign minister until July 12 2006 when he became finance minister during a cabinet reshuffle.
Sir Rabbie subsequently lost his seat of Kokopo Open at the 2007 Election but had not ruled out a future return to politics.
He lost his cabinet post when the new government, again led by Somare, took office in August 2007.
As a former prime minister of Papua New Guinea, he was a member of the Imperial Privy Council since 1989 and was styled “The Right Honourable”.
He will be missed, and as a representative from an era of more gentlemanly and respectful politics than is widely pursued in PNG and elsewhere these days.
Vale Sir Rabbie!