“I am a practitioner of the democratic process of the government in PNG,” he told participants at the Waigani Seminar here in Port Moresby on Friday.
“Since 1968, I have sought the mandate of the people of East Sepik. Before the 2007 National Elections, the National Alliance party voted me in as the leader of the party. We won the government over a year ago and Members of Parliament agreed to support the National Alliance party to form government,” he said.
“Therefore in accordance to the National Alliance constitution and the mandate of the people of East Sepik, I will remain the leader of the National Alliance party until next National Alliance convention when the new leadership is decided by its members,” Somare said.
Also at the seminar which was attended by almost 1,000 people, Somare said he would not undermine the powers of institutions such as the ombudsman commission which he helped establish.
“I want to assure, not just the attendants of the Waigani Seminar, but the people of Papua New Guinea that I would be the last person to undermine the institutions that I played a pivotal role in establishing,” he said. “I want to qualify, however, that as a member of the legislation it is my role to amend legislation and give rise to policies that keep up with the changing times and suit our circumstances.”
Somare was referred to the public prosecutor by the ombudsman commission in June for misconduct in office. However, his lawyers, Posman Kua Aisi, filed an urgent application to stay the referral.
Somare said if he was a dictator, he would have put former Prime Minister Sir Julius Chan behind bars for 20 years because “he was an obstacle to development.”
Chan told participants at last week’s Waigani Seminar that Somare’s 2002 attempt to extend the grace period was a mere move to make him look like a dictator.
Chan likened Somare’s move to that of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe.
