53 Facts About Mekere Morauta

Mekere Morauta remained an active opposition leader during the successive governments of Sir Michael Somare and Peter O'Neill, especially focusing on the politics of natural resources.

Sir Mekere Morauta was born in 1946 in Kukipi, a coastal village east of Kerema in the Gulf Province of Papua New Guinea.

Mekere Morauta was educated at local primary schools, at Kerema High and at Sogeri National High School.

Mekere Morauta went on to study at the University of Papua New Guinea, where in 1970 he became the first student to obtain a Bachelor of Economics.

Mekere Morauta was an exchange student at Flinders University in South Australia.

Mekere Morauta was a successful businessman after he retired from governing the central bank.

Sir Mekere Morauta was a member of the so-called "Gang of Four", a group of influential young civil service chiefs who played a leading role in holding together public administration and public policy in the formative decade or so after Papua New Guinea's independence in 1975.

Mekere Morauta maintained from that period a strong professional and warm personal relationship with the Australian economist Ross Garnaut.

Sir Mekere Morauta entered the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea in July 1997 as the member for Moresby North-West.

Mekere Morauta's government was a reforming government and developed policies to deal with the crises.

Sir Mekere Morauta was re-elected in Moresby North West in 2002 and 2007.

Mekere Morauta decided therefore to give in to major pressures and stood again successfully in Moresby North-West in 2017.

Mekere Morauta joined parliament in 1997 as a member of the People's Democratic Movement.

PDM was founded by Paias Wingti who lost his seat in the 1997 election and Mekere Morauta became the party leader.

When Sir Michael Somare took over as prime minister after the 2002 general elections, it was expected that Mekere Morauta would be leader of the opposition.

Mekere Morauta had advocated already to change the name of PMD to indicate a fresh start.

Mekere Morauta was installed as leader of the opposition after a successful appeal to the Registrar of Political Parties and the Ombudsman Commission against the actions of Muingnepe.

Mekere Morauta did not gain acceptance among his colleagues in the opposition and became part of the government bench.

Mekere Morauta stood as an independent in the 2017 election.

Mekere Morauta then joined the ranks of the Pangu Pati under the leadership of Sam Basil together with 4 other Independent MP's.

Mekere Morauta was a politician who had a strong regional base in Gulf and Western province because of the economic importance of his fishing interests as well as the benefits brought by the Ok Tedi mine.

Mekere Morauta was elected four times in the same constituency.

The Mekere Morauta government was in office from 14 July 1999 until 5 August 2002 and deployed far reaching initiatives.

Mekere Morauta looked back with satisfaction in his last budget speech before the election in 2002 on lower interest rates, lower inflation and a more stable currency.

The Mekere Morauta government faced stiff opposition after the first benefits of macro economic stabilization were realized and economic reforms were on the table.

At a meeting with the parents of a dead student, Sir Mekere Morauta referred to the previous loss of his son and he described the events as "the blackest day in our nation's history".

Mekere Morauta entered the elections of 2002 as a highly respected reformer, but this did not find favor with the voters.

Mekere Morauta held the portfolio of Minister of Finance from 1999 to 2000.

The Somare government that followed the Mekere Morauta government was the first PNG government that made a full term.

The reorganization of the natural resources sector by the Mekere Morauta government led to a stable income from the sector.

Sir Mekere Morauta gave himself a review of the achievements of that cabinet when departing from politics in 2012 and stressed that the reforms were incomplete: much work still needed to be done.

Sir Mekere Morauta had the same two crucial concerns in the variety of political positions he had between 2002 and 2017.

Mekere Morauta protested against the emasculation of parliament and the rise of politically sanctioned economic power outside parliament.

Mekere Morauta challenged this attempt to ignore parliament before the courts.

Mekere Morauta was not active in these and this has to be seen in the light of being ousted from the post of leader of the opposition.

Mekere Morauta protested against granting IPBC power to raise loans outside the normal controls of the Ministry of finance and the Central Bank.

Mekere Morauta strongly objected against further concentration of power when Arthur Somare was appointed as Minister of Finance on top of his appointment as Minister for Public Corporations.

Mekere Morauta charged Arthur Somare, his predecessor, in that position, with bad management, corruption and theft.

The management of natural resources: When Mekere Morauta left office in 2012 there was no government holding company specifically for natural resources projects.

Mekere Morauta's policy was that there should be an arms length distance between the management of enterprises and the government.

Mekere Morauta established Petromin which was meant to be more than merely a holding company: the management of natural resources moved out of the mere control of IPBC.

Mekere Morauta protested as well against the loan from the Sovereign Wealth Fund of Abu Dhabi.

O'Neill declared as an opening shot the chairman of the Ok Tedi board, the economist Ross Garnaut, a friend of Mekere Morauta, a prohibited immigrant.

Mekere Morauta proposed that the government should pay compensation for the mine to the SNDP.

Mekere Morauta divested as much as possible the assets of PNGSDP within PNG and distributed this in Western Province.

Mekere Morauta had as well started a court case as a private citizen in the Supreme Court of Papua New Guinea challenging the constitutionality of the Act appropriating the Ok Tedi mine.

Mekere Morauta intended to avoid the courts and hoped to put pressure on those professionals who managed the fund.

Mekere Morauta did not comment immediately after the loan was made.

Sir Mekere Morauta was a highly praised and at the same time controversial politician.

Sir Mekere was married to Lady Roslyn Morauta, an economist.

Mekere Morauta had two sons, James and Stephen, from a previous marriage to Dr Louise Morauta.

Mekere Morauta died of cancer in Brisbane on 19 December 2020.

Mekere Morauta was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in the 2009 Queen's Birthday Honours.