ENGAN POLITICS HEADED FOR SHOWDOWN

OP/ED

The political drama that gripped Papua New Guinea in recent weeks has subsided.
A new Governor General has been elected and Parliament has been adjourned to May next year.

In the whole episode, two things are clear. The first is the cranks and divisions emerging in the ruling National Alliance Party. While all seems quiet again, we are told, there is rumbling in the ruling National Alliance Party.

The events in the last few weeks have highlighted the real threat facing NA and that is that this party, which has been ruling PNG for over 8 years, face disintegration soon. We learnt on the weekend that members of the party, and senior ministers at that, are looking to move out of the party and join the coalition partners. We are informed that party founder and the Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare is in Port Moresby and is talking with the parliamentary caucus to mend the rifts and consolidate the party.

There are speculations that the Grand Chief will resume duty from his holiday before 31 January and make another major reshuffle to his cabinet. Whether this will happen or not, Papua New Guineans will have to wait and see. The second thing that has come out is the Enga contribution to the political developments in the recent weeks. Don Pomb Polye is the MP for Kandep electorate.

A popular leader, he is serving his second term in Parliament. It was a proud day for Enga and for the people of Kandep, when he was appointed to the second highest political post in PNG by the Prime Minister last year. 

And NA supporters in the Highlands – who contributed 13 MPs to the party after the 2007 national elections were happy after they had felt deceived, when Polye was not given that honor as leader of the biggest bloc in NA soon after the elections. 

They, naturally anticipated Polye to become Acting PM if Sir Michael stepped down because of the alleged breaches of the leadership code. But that was not to be, Sir Michael demoted Polye and promoted another Engan and Wabag MP, Sam Abal to DPM. Mr Abal is the son of prominent Highlands leader, the late Sir Tei Abal and he is a NA man.
 The Acting PM has his home at Ipus, a short distance up the road from Irelya, where Enga Governor Peter Ipatas has his home. Mr Ipatas started his political career has a councillor and made his way up to become Premier and has remained in the top political post in Enga for over many years now. 

A seasoned politician, he is fondly referred to as the “action governor” by his people. He is the leader of People’s Party; a coalition partner in the NA led Government.
The Wabag electorate shares the border with several electorates and one of this is the Kompiam electorate. This electorate is represented by John Pundari, the Minister for Mines. Pundari is serving his third term in Parliament and he is a member of the People’s Party.

It was after Mr Abal’s visit to Wabag, his home electorate soon after his new appointment that Governor Ipatas spill the beans that he and Minister Pundari were involved in the demotion of Mr Polye and the elevation of Mr Abal.

The Engans knew, there and then that the battle lines are drawn. Enga has got six NA members, we are not sure if Mr Polye and Mr Abal will team up and campaign.
We are told that Ipatas and Pundari, by doing what they did, want to divide NA in Enga and kill it off during 2012 elections. Polye and NA, we are also told, are ready to take the battle to them, with or without Mr Abal.

The process to elect the new Governor-General also involved Mr Ipatas and three prominent Engans but this is a story we will tell at another time. For now, it’s enough to say that Enga politics will never be the same again

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