Sir Michael Somare tells his side of the story

AFTER A WEEK of political turmoil at home, Sir Michael Somare travelled to Fiji to take part in the Engaging With The Pacific meeting, hosted by the Fijian government.

The meeting was called to replace the planned Melanesian Spearhead Group Leaders' meeting. This was postponed after other member nations raised concerns about Fij's military backed leader, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, taking on the rotating chairmanship.

Many Pacific heads of state have shunned the Suva meeting, instead sending emissaries.

Earlier today Sir Michael spoke with the ABC's Philippa McDonald...

SIR MICHAEL SOMARE: Well, there's always a comment about PNG politics, very volatile, but I've managed the stage from time to time. Many a times I have made vote of no confidences in my past being prime minister, so my body is getting used to it, so I have got a thick skin.

PHILIPPA MCDONALD: How confident are you that you will still be prime minister when parliament resumes in November?

SOMARE: I am still quite confident that we will carry through, I think I have got the numbers with me and I don't see, the Coalition partners have made firm commitments and our numbers still will carry in after November.

MCDONALD: You say you've got the numbers. It was not that parliament was adjourning, you've still got the numbers?

SOMARE: Oh we have the numbers, but I think parliament became very volatile, but following the rules of standing parliament, so speaker decided that he has to adjourn the parliament.

MCDONALD: Sir Michael, it's been reported that you became a little volatile and said to one of your opponents, I will kill you?

SOMARE: Well, in I said it to him in Pidgin and let's get our facts right, because the member concerned did not say something which is very rude and I can't say it on radio.

MCDONALD: Or TV?

SOMARE: Or TV and it hurts and it would hit the other members, if they heard it, it would not have been very good. One is to stop it and I happen to be around when I heard it and I told him you're dead meat, if you repeat it again, your dead meat. Now that dead meat means, you virtually use violence and kill people and I used it in Pidgin about the killing you.

I have used that to Mekere Morauta, in former translation, I will meet you in the post and you'll be gone and that's the way I did look at it. I told him in Pidgin exactly the same. Don't take it literally.

This is a Pidgin you use. Pidgin has got many ways of using it and by that I mean I will kill him in the polls and that is exactly the same term I used. And people who have come in the past when every time are rude, I have got rid of them and I am notorious for these type of things.

MCDONALD: Sir Michael, there is a fire still burning brightly. Do you want to be prime minister of Papua New Guinea for many years to come?

SOMARE: No, I think I have done my 42 years. By then I am sure that 44 years and my political career, I decided politics, I decided to leave teaching, it's the best profession, noble profession, but I thought I going to a dirty profession which is politics and I have mastered it, I have doctored it and I believe time has come for me to throw in my towel.

MCDONALD: You call it a dirty profession. Have you had to play dirty?

SOMARE: No, I don't play dirty. I follow the rules in the standing orders of parliament and I have been doing that all right through. Every time I beat people on the floor of parliament, to take their colours, they don't understand how to conduct the processes of parliament and having such a vast experience around, advise the speaker from time to time, this is how the rules are and I have made a success of it.

Source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Tomorrow: Why PNG supports an undemocratic Fiji military regime

Comments

[1 gru]

Somare does not tell the truth. What is the Pidgin word for "You are dead meat"?

What happen to Chronox Manek and Dr Allan Marat? Mr Basil should watch his step.

Somare, how can you control the Bulolo voters. You do not have any supporter at Bulolo. They are all gone. Mr Basil should be our Prime Minister.

[Peter]

I understand from what I read that Somare and the National Alliance use money and promises of ministerial positions to shore up support.

There are rumours that around $40 million was withdrawn from overseas bank accounts and trust funds just prior to the events of last week. The selective use of district services funds as inducements has been going on for years.

Radio New Zealand has more info -

___________________

There is growing concern in Papua New Guinea at the way the Government is using public money to boost its numbers in Parliament.

The Government is alleged to have used hundreds of millions of kina from the District Infrastructure Support Programme as inducements to hold its MPs, and Transparency International’s Peter Aitsi says this is a major concern.

He says there appears to be selective application of this funding.

“The methodology behind the use of this money, by that I mean the structures that are established to control the use of these public funds is not as transparent as we would hope, as we would like.

"And the regulatory framework around them is not as strong as we would hope. And so yes it draws significant concern from TI.”