06/05/2012 19:56

 

Former PNG Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare announces he will campaign for the party.

 

 

By M T SOMARE GCL GCMG CH CF KStJ

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I thank you all for accepting the invitation of the National Alliance Party to be here tonight. As I mentioned in my invitation letter to you, National Alliance will continue to be the leader in party politics in this country.

We want to offer you and many others who could not make it tonight our personal thanks for your confidence in the National Alliance Party and leadership. I believe this confidence is aptly demonstrated in the investments and reinvestments by the private sector over the past nine years.

We, as a government, provided during those nine years stability and certainty both in the public and private sector. We also provided in many sectors incentives for increased growth and development.

Our fact sheets on your tables and also enclosed in your invitations show our record since 2002 so I will not repeat our achievements. I also thank Isaac Lupari for his presentation that clearly shows developments over the last nine years.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The events of the last nine months have been a reality check for us all. Nine years of leadership is a long time and many of us perhaps grew complacent while others forgot what it was like before National Alliance took office.

Fortunately for us, the present mob has opened the eyes of many in Papua New Guinea, the region and the world. Many people wanted change but as the saying goes, we have to be careful what you wish for

I am not here to find fault in others but the importance of good political leadership cannot be underestimated.  We must have representatives that do not lose sight of why they are in parliament and whose interest they are there to represent.

I will now talk about myself and hope that I will not put you to sleep.

Not many leaders get the privilege that I have had - to see 36 years of a nation growing. I am both humbled and thankful to Papua New Guinea and my people of East Sepik and fellow members of parliament past and present for giving me that honour and privilege.

I am sure many of you tonight are wondering, what this old man is going to do next? Before I tell you, let me go back a year.

This time last year I was in the Intensive Care Unit of the Raffles Hospital Singapore. My chances of recovering from secondary complications were very slim.

But with good care from the specialist nurses and doctors, my family and many people in PNG, the Pacific and around the world who prayed for me, I finally pulled through and was discharged in August of last year.

I returned in September to PNG to find a new arrangement in place.

I have since then had time to consider my period of illness and how I was spared to return almost as good as new to my beloved PNG. I have had a long and good life with 44 years dedicated to politics.

As I step off the political stage, I am proud to leave the legacy of my final battle – Our constitution is intact and the rule of law will prevail.

As one of the oldest people in PNG today I know that I still have so much to give to PNG and my people of East Sepik.

I have been involved in the formation of two political parties and am happy to be in partnership with the Pangu Pati as we go into the elections in June.

The National Alliance Party was formed in 1996 and I take this opportunity to thank all the founding MPs, namely Bart Philemon, Masket Iangalio, Stephen Pokawin, the late Patterson Lowa, Sinai Brown, Michael Laimo,Sir Moi Avei, and the late Bernard Narokobi. I also acknowledge the contributions of past executives like the late Belden Sevua and George Manoa and former Interim President Mr Timothy Bonga.

Even though the NA Party Constitution does not allow it, I thank National Alliance for its confidence in allowing me to serve three terms as party leader. Today, National Alliance has a membership of thirteen MPs but as you can see from our candidates tonight many outside of parliament still want to be associated with the Party.

I assure candidates and sitting members that I will campaign strongly for National Alliance and its coalition partners to form government this July.

After July a new chapter in my life will begin.

I believe a new political era will also begin for PNG in July. We have seen over the last nine months what we do not want to happen in PNG.

We DON’T want a parliament full of liars; we don’t want gross abuse of powers; we don’t want unnecessary deficits because we have gone on a spending spree in an election year. 

Incidentally, the NA led government is the only government in 37 years that did not record a deficit in an election year – that was in 2007.

What we DO want is to strengthen economic management underpinned by responsible policy design to optimize true value from our resource rich basis. In turn we want the benefits to flow through to responsible social development policies, particularly in the health and education sectors.

We want to improve the District Support Improvement Programmes o money continues to reach all our districts; we want to continue the public service reform programme; we want good overall management and governance that translates to better goods and services to our people and improved standards of living.

We want legislation that benefits the masses and not retrospective and vindictive legislation specifically designed to exclude individual members of parliament. This petty behaviour is not acceptable of leadership.

National Alliance has proven over the last nine years that it is a responsible government and will improve on its record over the next five years.

Finally, I take this opportunity to thank everyone who has contributed and supported the National Alliance Party to go into the elections. I will not mention specific names tonight but a personal letter of appreciation will come from the party in due course.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have said enough. I thank you all once again for coming here tonight to meet our candidates for the upcoming general elections and to learn something more about the National Alliance Party.

To all candidates of the National Alliance Party, this is the last time that we will all be together until the formation of government in late July. I therefore wish you all strength, perseverance and every success in your campaign.

May God continue to Bless everyone. Good night.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I thank you all for accepting the invitation of the National Alliance Party to be here tonight. As I mentioned in my invitation letter to you, National Alliance will continue to be the leader in party politics in this country.

We want to offer you and many others who could not make it tonight our personal thanks for your confidence in the National Alliance Party and leadership. I believe this confidence is aptly demonstrated in the investments and reinvestments by the private sector over the past nine years.

We, as a government, provided during those nine years stability and certainty both in the public and private sector. We also provided in many sectors incentives for increased growth and development.

Our fact sheets on your tables and also enclosed in your invitations show our record since 2002 so I will not repeat our achievements. I also thank Isaac Lupari for his presentation that clearly shows developments over the last nine years.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The events of the last nine months have been a reality check for us all. Nine years of leadership is a long time and many of us perhaps grew complacent while others forgot what it was like before National Alliance took office.

Fortunately for us, the present mob has opened the eyes of many in Papua New Guinea, the region and the world. Many people wanted change but as the saying goes, we have to be careful what you wish for

I am not here to find fault in others but the importance of good political leadership cannot be underestimated.  We must have representatives that do not lose sight of why they are in parliament and whose interest they are there to represent.

I will now talk about myself and hope that I will not put you to sleep.

Not many leaders get the privilege that I have had - to see 36 years of a nation growing. I am both humbled and thankful to Papua New Guinea and my people of East Sepik and fellow members of parliament past and present for giving me that honour and privilege.

I am sure many of you tonight are wondering, what this old man is going to do next? Before I tell you, let me go back a year.

This time last year I was in the Intensive Care Unit of the Raffles Hospital Singapore. My chances of recovering from secondary complications were very slim.

But with good care from the specialist nurses and doctors, my family and many people in PNG, the Pacific and around the world who prayed for me, I finally pulled through and was discharged in August of last year.

I returned in September to PNG to find a new arrangement in place.

I have since then had time to consider my period of illness and how I was spared to return almost as good as new to my beloved PNG. I have had a long and good life with 44 years dedicated to politics.

As I step off the political stage, I am proud to leave the legacy of my final battle – Our constitution is intact and the rule of law will prevail.

As one of the oldest people in PNG today I know that I still have so much to give to PNG and my people of East Sepik.

I have been involved in the formation of two political parties and am happy to be in partnership with the Pangu Pati as we go into the elections in June.

The National Alliance Party was formed in 1996 and I take this opportunity to thank all the founding MPs, namely Bart Philemon, Masket Iangalio, Stephen Pokawin, the late Patterson Lowa, Sinai Brown, Michael Laimo,Sir Moi Avei, and the late Bernard Narokobi. I also acknowledge the contributions of past executives like the late Belden Sevua and George Manoa and former Interim President Mr Timothy Bonga.

Even though the NA Party Constitution does not allow it, I thank National Alliance for its confidence in allowing me to serve three terms as party leader. Today, National Alliance has a membership of thirteen MPs but as you can see from our candidates tonight many outside of parliament still want to be associated with the Party.

I assure candidates and sitting members that I will campaign strongly for National Alliance and its coalition partners to form government this July.

After July a new chapter in my life will begin.

I believe a new political era will also begin for PNG in July. We have seen over the last nine months what we do not want to happen in PNG.

We DON’T want a parliament full of liars; we don’t want gross abuse of powers; we don’t want unnecessary deficits because we have gone on a spending spree in an election year. 

Incidentally, the NA led government is the only government in 37 years that did not record a deficit in an election year – that was in 2007.

What we DO want is to strengthen economic management underpinned by responsible policy design to optimize true value from our resource rich basis. In turn we want the benefits to flow through to responsible social development policies, particularly in the health and education sectors.

We want to improve the District Support Improvement Programmes o money continues to reach all our districts; we want to continue the public service reform programme; we want good overall management and governance that translates to better goods and services to our people and improved standards of living.

We want legislation that benefits the masses and not retrospective and vindictive legislation specifically designed to exclude individual members of parliament. This petty behaviour is not acceptable of leadership.

National Alliance has proven over the last nine years that it is a responsible government and will improve on its record over the next five years.

Finally, I take this opportunity to thank everyone who has contributed and supported the National Alliance Party to go into the elections. I will not mention specific names tonight but a personal letter of appreciation will come from the party in due course.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have said enough. I thank you all once again for coming here tonight to meet our candidates for the upcoming general elections and to learn something more about the National Alliance Party.

To all candidates of the National Alliance Party, this is the last time that we will all be together until the formation of government in late July. I therefore wish you all strength, perseverance and every success in your campaign.

May God continue to Bless everyone. Good night.

M T SOMARE GCL GCMG CH CF KStJ

• This speech was given at the National Alliance Party corporate fundraiser in Saturday May 5 in Port Moresby, PNG.