Enga’s politics has a bearing on the national politics and the question which almost everyone back in the province and PNG as a whole has in his or her mind is: will this effect be possible to make an Engan become the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea?
The question is critical yet manageable.
Many political showdowns among Engan politicians have gripped Papua New Guinea where its political serenity gets boiling at times.'
The events which tightened their grip on the country among others were lobbies surrounding or in the lead up to the appointments of then Ambum-Kompiam MP Hon. John Pundari as the Deputy Prime Minister in 1999 under the Mekere government and third-term Kandep MP Hon. Don Pomb Polye, who was replaced by former Wabag Open MP and the longest-serving acting Prime Minister Sam Abal as the Deputy PM in the Somare regime.
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Engan leaders have never buried their dream now and then, and that a few determined ones have risen up to the challenges to make this dream a reality.
After its formation which was only a few months away from the last elections, Triumph Heritage Empowerment Party, a political party under the leadership of Hon. Don Pomb Polye, an Engan MP, recorded a victory of 14 seats (including 11 officials and three independents) in the country.
This party was the second largest coalition partner in the O’Neill government until he got boots from the Prime Minister Peter O’Neill in 2014 over the familiar K3 billion UBS loan.
Others which also proved themselves as worthy contenders for the Prime Minister post were Enga Governor Peter Ipatas whose People’s Party which won only five seats and the Foreign Affairs and Immigration Minister Rimbink Pato whose United Party only won his Wapenamanda seat.
It will be that time again in 2017 General Elections and Papua New Guinea is set to experience another crank and division among Engan leaders.
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| Polye in Wabag town in 2017 |
This time more than four political parties are looming in the horizon, including a new political party which the current member of Ipatas’ party and Ambum-Kompiam MP John Pundari, as told by well-placed inside sources, will form his own party to vie for the PM’s post.
Talking about Pundari, he led two political parties namely PNG Revival Party and Advance PNG Party but they met their demise when he lost his seat in 2002 as he was in a bid to wrestle with Ipatas in the provincial seat.
However, there are no permanent enemies or are there any friends either.
The duo improved their relationship when Pundari fined K1000 each for sixteen charges Ipatas was faced with.
The former came back to the political scene in 2007 when he won back his Ambum-Kompiam seat.
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| Polye with Engan leaders in Wabag town |
With the General Election for the 10th Parliament looming, the province will be a home to these major political parties through which their Parliamentary Leaders will be contending for the Prime Minister seat.
Despite the existence of other minor ones which are devoid of parliamentary leadership, their founders are also set to vie for the top post.
Engan politicians rose up to the pinnacle of their career by being the head of the legislature (Speaker), the Governor-General, acting head of the cabinet (PM), the head of the Opposition or the alternative government (Opposition Leader), head of bureaucracy (Chief Secretary) and the head of the judiciary arm of the government (Chief Justice).
The writing is on the wall that none from the province has fully felt the texture of the PM’s chair- Polye, Abal and Pundari were only appointed to act on the position in the absence of their respective bosses.
It seems the dream will only be collecting dust if the grudges against each other still continue.
This is the stumbling block which must be managed to make way for this milestone achievement.
It is now or never to iron it out for one accord and one spirit in the best interest of the province.
With the parties, party-line politics will see the election in the province taking another playing ground with challenges against each other much tougher if nothing of the sort eventuates.
Enga has five electorates namely Laigap-Porgra being populous with over 120, 000 eligible voters, followed by Wapenamanda with almost 60, 000 voters, over 56, 000 voters for Wabag, over 53, 000 for Kandep and 52, 000 for Kompiam-Ambum (2012 Common Role).
In the 2017 election the population for each of them is set to increase.
Each of the political parties will ensure they must win at least three or four seats in their home province to boost their number.
At the national front, it will not be easy for these parties which do have weak networks in the rural population nationwide.
Now Pato is only a one-man party, Laigap-Porgera MP Nixion Mangape has formed alliance with Polye since 2012 while Ipatas is enjoying the company of Wabag MP Robert Ganim and Pundari, who is set to defect.
With the turn of political events in the province, Ipatas may be one-man party as Ganim may be forced to unplug his alliance with the governor as many are scrambling for his support.
Three of these parties are now set to endorse hot candidates in the regional seat to challenge Ipatas while the Peoples’ Party will reciprocate its endorsement to unseat the incumbents.
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| Don Polye speaking to a record crowd in Wabag town in 2017 |
This can be best described as democracy at its best but it is not within the cultural norms.
Our opportunities to become the Prime Minister have slipped through our finger tips time and time again due to such leadership tussles.
The people of Enga have become victims of this big time as in most cases the Open MPs and the governor are not seen working together.
The time is ripe for the Engan leaders to swallow their pride and support only one to put his or her hands up to grasp the post for the best interest of the province.
A round table discussion to resolve their matters is the way forward so over to you, our politicians!
It is now or never to set a precedence for the next crop of leaders to dine together in just one table.
