Asia-Pacific Network: 2 July 1997
ELECTIONS: CHAN'S DEFEAT BLAMED ON SANDLINE
The surprise narrow defeat of Prime Minister Sir Julius Chan of Papua New Guinea has been blamed on opposition to the Sandline mercenary controversy and a new "grand coalition" government led by Sir Michael Somare is now expected to be formed. NGO representatives have won a place in Parliament for the first time and women are again represented.
By DAVID ROBIE in Port Moresby
PRIME MINISTER Sir Julius Chan was regarded as the great political survivor in Papua New Guinea.
An astute politician and wealthy businessman, he had twice been prime minister. And he had held his seat of Namatanai, on New Ireland, for the past 29 years.
But he reacted to his surprise defeat in the June general election with a mixture of pain and regret and said he would bow out of politics.
Blaming the loss on local issues, he acknowledged, however, that the Sandline mercenary scandal had played a role in his defeat. He was particularly scathing about rejection from his own home area, Susurunga, which he said had some of the best services in the country.
"To those that I have given the least they have returned me with the greatest number," he said. "But those to whom much is given, they have given me very little in return."
Chan added that although he was surprised by the result, he respected the decision of the voters.
He lost by just 110 votes to a cousin, Ephraim Apelis, who lives at a village 10 kilometres away, and who campaigned vigorously to topple Chan.
A grand coalition government is now expected to be formed with the country's founding father Sir Michael Somare as the new prime minister.
Sir Julius was the latest of several cabinet ministers ousted by a massive groundswell of public protest over the Sandline scandal.
In this affair the government hired a British-based mercenary company to plan and execute a surgical strike against secessionist rebels on the island of Bougainville.
Chan stood aside as prime minister in March after military commander Brigadier-General Jerry Singirok denounced the $36 million plan, touching of a wave of protests against the government.
A commission of inquiry, established by Chan himself, recently ruled the prime minister, Deputy Prime Minister Chris Haiveta and Defence Minister Mathias Ijape had done nothing wrong.
However, the public thought otherwise and gave their verdict at the ballot box.
Among other casualties in the two-week-long election have been Defence Minister Ijape, Mining Minister John Giheno - who was acting PM during the inquiry - and chairman Ben Micah of the Constitutional Review Committee.
The controversial Mr Micah had backed unpopular draconian legislation to muzzle the news media. Few analysts were surpised that he had been defeated.
Giheno, who acted as prime minister, lost his Henganofi seat to a grassroots village
farmer. After being beaten in Kavieng by popular businessman Ian Ling-Stuckey, Micah's supporters were reported to have assaulted polling officials and trashed the electoral office.
However, several independent and non-government organisation candidates who were opposed to the mercenary plan polled dramatically well.
Father Robert Lak, a campaigner for the poor and a radical broadcaster, easily defeated a former prime minister, Paias Wingti, in the Western Highlands regional seat. he immediately called for solidarity and cooperation with other regional MPs.
Another human rights activist, Peti Lafanama, won the Eastern Highlands seat with a landslide victory. Lafanama, who is general secretary of Melanesian Solidarity (Melsol) and was among the leaders of the anti-government protests in March, is in effect the province's governor-elect.
He polled 35,000 votes, more than double that of naturalised citizen Mal Kela Smith, with sitting member Aita Ivarato a poor third.
Meanwhile, a group of 12 soldiers who ousted the mercenaries have been arrested for allegedly interfering with the poll as an illegal military force.
Another defeated pro-government politician, David Unagi, claimed soldiers who took part in Operation Rausim Kwik against the mercenaries had "played a leading role in the downfall of many current government leaders".
He added that the soldiers had plotted against return of certain sitting MPs because they feared being courtmartialled over their roles in opposing the Sandline contract.
Women have regained a place in Parliament for the first time in a decade. Lady Carol Kidu, naturalised widow of Chief Justice Sir Buri Kidu, decisively won a seat in the capital. Her victory was hugely popular after years of community work and championing the poor.
In Milne Bay, women's rights activist Dame Josephine Abaijah won the regional seat at the expense of governor Tim Neville, who as a former forests minister fought for the sustainability of Papua New Guinea's forests.
This is the third time in Parliament for the onetime Papua secessionist leader. She entered the House as regional member for the National Capital District in 1972, retained her seat in 1977 but lost it five years later.
Analysts believe the many talented newcomers to Parliament could make the chamber one of the most creative and energetic legislatures since independence.
David Robie is a New Zealand author and journalist. He is currently at the University of Papua New Guinea.
