Michael Somare, the first prime minister of Papua New Guinea, who played a key role in leading the country to independence from Australia, died in Port Moresby, the capital, on Friday. He was 84.
His death in a hospital was announced by his daughter Betha Somare, who said he was admitted on Feb. 19 after a late-stage diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.
“Unfortunately, pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive cancers that can rarely be detected early,” she said in an email. “We as a family only had two weeks to look for possible treatments for our father.”
Mr Somare, widely regarded as ‘papa blo kantri’, the father of his Pacific nation, was Papua New Guinea’s prime minister for three separate terms, during 17 of the country’s 45 years of independence. He held the office from 1975 to 1980; from 1982 to 1985; and from 2002 to 2011.
Mr. Somare has played a crucial role in identifying the challenges raised by various country groups, Australian expatriates and the Australian government in the run-up to independence.
Ronald May, an emeritus at the Department of Pacific Affairs at the Australian National University, said in an obituary about Mr. Summaries written on a university website:
“Despite these challenges, Papua New Guinea made a smooth transition to independence in 1975, with Mr. Somare as Prime Minister, and confuses those in Australia and elsewhere who have predicted political and economic collapse. It remains one of a fairly small number of postcolonial states that have maintained an unbroken record of democracy. ”
Mr. Somare was born on April 9, 1936, in Rabaul, eastern New Britain, where his father was stationed as a police officer. The younger Mr Somare was raised in the Eastern Sepik province, which he would later represent in parliament.
He worked as a translator and journalist before entering politics as the founder of the Pangu Pati, which acted as an unofficial opposition in parliament before forming a coalition that led the country to independence.
He serves as the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea as an Australian Government and, after independence, as its first Prime Minister.
In a midnight radio speech to the new nation, Mr. Somare said: ‘This is just the beginning. Now we have to stand on our own two feet and work harder than ever before. We are indeed masters of our own destiny. ”
He spent the last part of his last term in critical care outside Papua New Guinea, during which he was removed from office by a group of lawmakers who declared the role of prime minister vacant. Mr. Somare officially retired from politics in 2017.
In addition to his daughter Betha, Mr. Somare survived by his wife, Veronica, whom he married in 1965; and their other children, Sana, Arthur, Michael and Dulciana.
On Friday, Mr. Marape a week of silence, peace and tranquility asked to pay tribute to this one person who owes our country a lot. ‘