We owe it to Sir Michael

PRIME Minister James Marape says Papua New Guineans – young and old – owe a debt of gratitude to the late Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare.
“At no one single time before or after our Independence did one man’s death (on Feb 26, 2021) affect Papua New Guineans as overwhelmingly as Sir Michael’s,” he said.
“But then, no man had lived and dedicated his life quite the way Sir Michael had done to give wings to his vision, during a time of many limitations, for the unity of a thousand tribe of peoples into a single nation.”
In a tribute to mark the second anniversary of his death which led to weeks of national mourning, Marape said Sir Michael was the “architect of our independence”.
“He was the architect of our Independence who, against prevailing views at the time, saw (it) possible,” he said. “He needed important building blocks to be laid down. Our Constitution speaks of that outcome in very clear terms.”
Marape yesterday returned from Fiji where he, apart from holding bilateral talks with Fiji PM Sitiveni Rabuka, also revived a golf competition between the two nations started decades ago by Sir Michael and his Fiji counterpart and close friend the late Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara.
Marape and Rabuka played for their nations for the Somare-Ratu Mara trophy at the PNG-owned golf course at Deuba near Suva. It ended in a draw.
“Fiji and PNG have been close since ancestral times, missionary times and colonial times,” Marape said. “Our countries’ histories have been anchored by Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara and Sir Michael Somare – the two great chiefs of our nations.
“As stated by (Rabuka), we can only do best if we walk in their footsteps to ensure that people-to-people relationships remain anchored, and then business-to-business can flourish on that, and government-to-government to ensure that we remain harmonious going forward into the future.”
Marape said Sir Michael “inspired action”. “He fostered and harnessed the collective spirit of those around him to work hard and with a defined purpose,” he said.”

Never forget what Somare did for us, says Lelang

OPPOSITION Leader Joseph Lelang has urged Papua New Guineans to never forget what the late Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare had done for them.
“We tend to forget easily. (After only two years), already the memory of our founding father, Grand Chief Sir Michael Thomas Somare, (is fading),” he said.
“The platitudes and the flowery praise that flowed effortlessly at his funeral from everywhere will be remembered less and less with each passing anniversary, until one day he is forgotten.
“Nations of the world honour their great men and women with shining memorials, with busts carved in granite on mountaintops, and with grand libraries, foundations and museums named in their honour.
“We too must remember the contributions of this humble but inspiration husband, father, teacher, broadcaster and politician past compare, not with the words that we share in his memory but by physical memorials we raise in his honour.”
Lelang was happy that a national gallery to be built at Sir Michael’s burial site is now progressing.
“We must have the other projects and memorials that were to be set up in his honour, one of which is to be on Independence Hill, also up and running,” he said.
“Our priorities and budgets will yearly shift to new worries. And there are plenty, but to the man who championed early independence fwith a small group of fiery nationalists in the nostalgic years of 1972 to 1975, we must give his due and his place in our history and memory.
“To Lady Veronica, the Somare children, his Murik people and the wider Papua New Guinea who too called him father, the loss is mutually felt, in perpetuity.”

Sir Julius recalls securing independence with Somare

NEW Ireland Governor Sir Julius Chan recalls how he and the late Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare carried the weight of a thousand tribes to form a united and independent Papua New Guinea.
He said unity was what the late Sir Michael stood for.
“My dear friend, it has been two years now since you left us, but it seems like only yesterday that we bravely decided to take Papua New Guinea through unchartered waters and begin our journey,” Sir Julius said.
He urged all Papua New Guineans to emulate the same dedication Sir Michael and other founding fathers had for Papua New Guinea.
“We joined hands together with one dream, one mind, one heart and one spirit to form a united Papua New Guinea, a member of the world of nations, standing on our own two feet, equal to any in the world.”
Sir Julius recalls how he and Sir Michael were elected back to the second House of Assembly in 1968.
“I remember those early days of adventure, days of daring dreams, days when it seemed we could do almost anything we dreamed of doing.”

Sir Michael remains our guiding light, says O’Neill

IALIBU-Pangia MP Peter O’Neill says people may never be able to live up to the late Sir Michael Somare’s standards, “but we can always strive to do better”.
O’Neill joined thousands of Papua New Guineans in thanking the late Grand Chief for his invaluable contribution to the country, on the second anniversary of his death.
He died at the age of 84 at a hospital in Port Moresby on Feb 26, 2021.
“I remember him as a very approachable, fair and true gentleman who loved his family as much as his country,” O’Neill said.
“His humanity humbleness, his ways of encouraging debate but always promoting peace, his unwavering commitment to genuine democratic processes and respect for rule of law, ensure Sir Michael remains our guiding beacon.
“We will always need his guidance and thoughtfulness as we navigate our country’s future.
“We may not always be able to live up to Sir Michael’s standards, but we can always strive to do better. He stood and struggled to achieve our independence, our rights to be free and we must strive to do more in his name so that his extreme efforts were not in vain.
“He was one of the great global conservationists, a man before his time protecting rainforests.
“I also take this time to thank Lady Veronica and the Somare family and wish them good health.”