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Michael Somare


Sir Michael Thomas Somare, GCL, GCMG, CH, CF (born 9 April 1936) has been Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea since 2002; he was previously Prime Minister from independence in 1975 until 1980 and again from 1982 until 1985. His first two terms were as a member of the Pangu Party, but he is now leader of the National Alliance Party. He was re-elected as Prime Minister in the 2007 election.

Early life


He was the son of Ludwig Somare Sana and Kambe Somare. Ludwig Somare was a policeman from 1922 to 1947, rising to the rank of sergeant. Having taught himself to read and write, he was subsequently active in encouraging formation of small businesses and cooperatives, founding the Angoram Cooperative Society which he chaired from 1961 until 1967, and remaining active in trading until his death in 1972. In all he had four wives and six children, of whom Michael was the eldest.

Born in Rabaul where his father was then stationed, he grew up in his family village of Karau in the Murik Lakes district of East Sepik Province. His earliest education was in a Japanese-run primary school at Karau during World War II where he learned to read, write and count in Japanese. Meanwhile his father was in hiding and fear of his life from the Japanese in Rabaul, but Somare remembers the Japanese with affection. Two of his earliest overseas trips, first as a parliamentarian and then as Prime Minister, were to Japan.

From 1946 he attended Boram Primary School, then Dregerhafen Education Center and Sogeri High School, graduating with a Leaving Certificate issued on behalf of the Australian state of Victoria in 1957. This was a teaching qualification at the time, and Somare then taught at several primary and secondary schools, returning to Sogeri High School for further training from 1962 to 1963.

Political life and the beginning of the PNG Independence movement


Transferring within the Public Service, Somare became a radio broadcaster based in Wewak in the East Sepik Province. He received further training at the Administrative College at Waigani in 1965. Following numerous conflicts with his superiors concerning his outspoken political comments, he was transferred from broadcasting to administrative roles, and left the Public Service to contest the elections for the second House of Assembly in 1968 as a member of the Pangu Party which he had founded with other like minds in 1967.

Somare and eight other Pangu Party members were elected. They declined invitations to join the coalition government, and he became the first official opposition leader. Following the third House of Assembly elections in 1972, Somare was able to form a coalition government which included Julius Chan of the People's Progress Party, himself later a Prime Minister, as Minister for Internal Finance. Somare became Chief Minister when self-government was granted in 1973, and was a key figure in the preparations for subsequent independence in 1975 and the preparation and adoption of the Constitution. With independence, his title changed to Prime Minister.

Ousted by a parliamentary vote of no confidence in 1980, he was again Prime Minister from 1982 until 1985, and won the office a third time in the 2002 election.

Somare has always had an interest and a pride in his background and culture. Although his initiations were interrupted several times by his career, he returned to his village regularly and completed them, culminating in his appointment as ''sana'' or peacemaker, a title inherited from his father and grandfather and conferred on him by his uncle Saub in 1973. He often chose to wear Melanesian rather than western dress in parliament and on similar occasions, and in many old photographs is the only political leader so attired.

Somare's political style was both fiercely nationalistic and conciliatory, following the tradition of Sana as he sees it. One of the roles of Sana is to invite enemies to a feast before any fight. Somare often appointed political enemies to posts in which they could exercise their interests and passions. In the lead-up to independence, he argued for and won citizenship and residency requirements which were both more severe than the outgoing Australian administration recommended and more moderate than most of his party wished.

In his autobiography ''Sana'' (1975), Somare describes many fascinating incidents. He tells how in 1971, he was concerned that the sacred objects, the ornately carved sacred spears or ''kakars'' and the sacred flutes, were being lost, destroyed, sold or stolen. After much negotiation with the ''gapars'' or priests he arranged to have the kakars of his village photographed. The kakars were only handled by the senior gapars, and only left or 'came down' from the ''haus tambaran'' on the occasion of the gapars handing over the priestly function to another ''orob'' or generation. Somare himself was too young to be allowed to even see the kakars, but was included into the coming down ceremony as the interpreter for the photographer, who was of a suitable age to be attached to the next orob. Only after the ceremony was complete did Somare realise the enormity of the sacrifice made by the older priests to allow these photographs to be taken. Over the following days they completed the initiation of the new orob, thus denying themselves the privilege of serving as gapars ever again.

Reflecting these interests, in 1969 he was appointed chairman of the board of trustees of the Papua and New Guinea Museum.

Personal life


Somare married his wife Veronica in 1965, having courted her in traditional fashion, and then immediately left to take up his scholarship at Administrative College. They have five children, Bertha (usually called "Betha" in the national press), Sana, Arthur, Michael junior and Dulciana. Somare is head of both his own family and that of his wife, who initiated him into their title ''mindamot'' two days after his initiation as ''sana''. He, together with the now-Governor-General Sir Paulias Matane, makes a point of wearing a tailored Fijian skirt, known in Papua New Guinea as a laplap, rather than trousers.

Between Prime Ministerships


During the seventeen years between his second and third terms as Prime Minister, he was appointed to political posts by other Prime Ministers. He served as Foreign Minister from 1988 to 1992 in the government of Rabbie Namaliu, who would later become Foreign Minister in Somare's government. He later served as Foreign Minister for a few months in 1999 and took this position again in July 2006. He is currently the Foreign Minister in addition to being the Prime Minister.

Shoes episode


In March 2005 Somare was required by security officers at Brisbane Airport, Australia, to remove his shoes during a routine departure security check and took strong exception to what he considered a humiliation, leading to a diplomatic contretemps and a significant cooling of relations between the two countries. A protest march in Port Moresby saw hundreds march on the Australian High Commission demanding an apology and compensation.

Moti affair


Tensions between Papua New Guinea and Australia worsened during the course of the Julian Moti affair, in which Somare has been implicated. Moti, a close associate of Manasseh Sogavare, the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, was arrested in Port Moresby on 29 September 2006 under an Australian extradition request to face child sex charges over an incident in Vanuatu in 1997. After breaking bail conditions and taking sanctuary in the Solomon Islands High Commission, he was flown to the Solomon Islands on a clandestine PNG Defence Force flight on the night of October 10, causing outrage on the part of the Australian government. Australia then cancelled ministerial-level talks in December and banned senior Papua New Guinea ministers from entering Australia. Somare has denied any involvement in authorising the flight.

2007 election


Following the 2007 parliamentary election, Somare was re-elected as Prime Minister on August 13 with the support of 86 out of the 109 Members of Parliament.

In March 2008, however, at the age of 71, he announced he would soon be stepping down from his position as Prime Minister, and ending his political career. He explained that, after forty years in politics, he simply "need[ed] a change"
("I don't think I have lost anything but the time has come"). In September 2008, Sir Michael once again hinted at his upcoming retirement.

Coalition for Rainforest Nations



On the international stage, Papua New Guinea has become noteworthy in climate negotiations, leading the Coalition for Rainforest Nations in proposals to include carbon credits for reduced emissions from deforestation (REDD) in the post-2012 international climate change agreement. Somare has personally endorsed the Forests Now Declaration, calling for this and other new market based mechanisms to protect forests.

Honours


He has received several honorary doctorates, the first being from the University of the Philippines in 1976. He was appointed a member of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council in 1977 (as in Australia, but unlike in some other British Commonwealth countries, notably Canada, there is no indigenous Privy Council and the honorific "The Right Honourable" can only be granted when one is admitted to the British Privy Council), and was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) by the Queen in the Birthday Honour List of 1990. In 2004 Somare received authorization from cabinet to create an autochthonous honours system for Papua New Guinea. In 2005, the Princess Royal invested him as one of the first Grand Companions of the Order of Logohu (GCL) and his formal style is now "Grand Chief The Rt Hon. Sir Michael Somare".

Awards


Commonwealth Honours





Foreign Honours















Source: Wikipedia