Sir Michael Somare

Who is Sir Michael Somare?

Sir Michael Thomas Somare was born on 9 April 1936 in Rabaul, in what was then the Australian-administered Territory of New Guinea, the son of a village chieftain who also served as a local police sergeant. He entered politics as opportunities opened for native Papua New Guineans in the late 1960s, co-founding the Pangu Pati in 1967 and winning election to the pre-independence House of Assembly in 1968. He served on the Constitutional Planning Committee that prepared the country for self-government, and when Papua New Guinea gained independence from Australia in September 1975, Somare became its first Prime Minister at the age of 39. Over a political career spanning more than four decades, he served three separate terms as Prime Minister (1975-1980, 1982-1985, and 2002-2011), making him the country's longest-serving head of government. Known for consensus-building and peaceful diplomacy, he is widely credited with holding the young, culturally diverse nation together during a fragile period of nation-building. He also championed Papua New Guinean culture, underwent traditional initiation into his father's Sana lineage, and helped establish the national museum and a national creative arts centre. He died on 25 February 2021 at age 84 and is remembered across Papua New Guinea as the "Father of the Nation."

Sources: Michael Somare — Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Somare) · University of Wollongong, "Vale Sir Michael Somare, Papua New Guinea's first Prime Minister" (2021) · Devpolicy Blog, "Obituary: Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare" (2021)