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Condolence Message for the Late Sir Rabbie Namaliu

I am saddened to learn of the passing the Late Sir Rabbie Namaliu, former Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea who passed away on Friday March 31, 2023.

For a long time, the Late Sir Rabbie Namaliu was blamed by many people for escalating the Bougainville Civil War after ordering the deployment of the Papua New Guinea Defence onto Bougainville during his tenure as Prime Minister in the early 1990’s. His efforts to instill peace and order in Bougainville by the PNG security forces only strengthened the resolve of the Bougainville Revolutionary Army which resulted in intense fighting and immense loss of lives on both sides.

To date the Late Sir Rabbie Namaliu has been the only former Prime Minister and national leader from the period of the unrest that has accepted responsibility for his role in the war. During the first phase of the National Reconciliation between the BRA and PNG Security Forces in 2019, the Late Sir Rabbie Namaliu was remorseful and admitted that the greatest mistake of his political career was deploying troops to Bougainville.

As President of Bougainville and moreover as the former Commander of the BRA, the admission by the Late Sir Rabbie Namaliu has earned the forgiveness of the people of Bougainville. Seldom has a leader of Sir Rabbie’s calibre admitted in public their direct role in decisions that caused a genocidal war that resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of lives and destroyed a generation of people.

The Late Sir Rabbie Namaliu was a true Melanesian leader who overcame his mistakes by accepting them. His humility and sincerity as a leader is recognised by the people of Bougainville. His courage was admirable and his loyalty and service to PNG unquestionable.

On behalf of the government and people of Bougainville I offer our condolences to the people of East New Britain and the family of the Late Sir Rabbie Namaliu.

May His Soul Rest in Peace.

 

Hon. Ishmael Toroama, MHR

President

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