Somare 'failed to communicate' says Abal

BY EOIN BLACKWELL
AAP

SIR MICHAEL SOMARE LOST CONTROL of his government in part because he failed to communicate with his back bench, Papua New Guinea's former acting prime minister says.

In his first public comments on the inner workings of the Somare government since it fell on 2 August last year following a backbench coup, Sam Abal says the former government concentrated too much power among its economic ministries.

Mr Abal was Sir Michael's deputy and led his government between mid-March and August while the 75-year-old veteran prime minister was in Singapore undergoing multiple heart operations.

"We didn't give enough attention to the back benches," Mr Abal told AAP.

"I saw that there was a lot of pressure building up over the past nine years [when the Somare government was in office].

"When the opportunity came, the backbenches went for it."

That opportunity saw 70 of PNG's 109 MPs form a bloc behind the current prime minister, 46-year-old Peter O'Neill, and his deputy, Belden Namah, sparking a constitutional crisis over how Sir Michael was removed.

Mr Abal said another major fault [was] the Somare government’s concentration of power in economic ministries, such as treasury and planning departments.

Sir Michael's son, Arthur Somare, was public enterprises minister until his suspension in mid 2010 pending a corruption investigation.

Government MPs, led by Mr O'Neill, have frequently attacked the Somare bloc for its concentration of power during its term and for trying to set up a "dynasty" without naming Arthur Somare.

Mr Abal two days ago became the first MP to join Australian-born opposition leader Dame Carol Kidu on the other side of parliament.

With Dame Carol leaving parliament, Mr Abal has offered himself as the alternate prime minister at the next election.

The majority of Sir Michael's supporters currently occupy the middle benches.

Comments

[Colin Huggins]

Seems to me that Sam Abal is a "jack of all trades". Look him up on Wilipedia - exceedingly interesting.

Reminds me of the Governor in the movie "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" and his dancing foot-stepping display.

Very clever routine, but I doubt if the good Lord will bestow too many blessings on Mr Abal.

[Leonard Roka]

Another leader that long kept his sanity of a man under the carpet is now back, very good on you Sam Abal. I think, we need to talk truth in order to be free and fruitful.

But ain't you, Sam Abal, just campaigning to get back into Waigani and later turn into a mule?

Many politicians do have some sense of ethics in them but their problem is the cult of worshipping idols like Somare.

[Mrs Barbara Short]

Good on you, Sam Abal. you are starting to speak common sense! What you have said is so true.

You can see the faults of the Somare Government and even if you just get elected back to parliament and become Leader of the Opposition, in that role you can work at getting rid of these faults that have grown in the parliament during the Somare era, such as too much power in the Treasury and Planning departments.

God bless you.