Arnold Amet
Encyclopedia
Sir Arnold Amet is a Papua New Guinea
n politician
.
He was the Governor of Madang Province
from November 2007 to December 2010, whereupon he resigned the position to be appointed Minister for Justice and Attorney General in Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare
's Cabinet. He held these positions until the government was brought down by a parliamentary motion of no confidence in August 2011, whereupon he was relegated to the Opposition benches.
He is a member of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea
, having been elected
for the Madang Provincial Seat in the 2007 general election
.
Sir Arnold has also been Chief Justice of Papua New Guinea, Chairman of the Manam
Humanitarian Committee, chair of the Commonwealth
Observer Group for Solomon Islands
' elections, and a member of the international Eminent Persons Group tasked with assessing the political and human rights situation in Fiji
following its 2006 military coup
.
Pacific Magazine in 2008 described Sir Arnold as "the likely successor of Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare when 'The Chief' steps down as head of the governing National Alliance Party
."
attended, and criticised the project, describing it as a "con-job" which would not benefit his constituents. Fairweather also described Gabriel Kapris (the Minister for Commerce and Industry, who was present) as a stil-man, a Tok Pisin
word for a thief. Amet responded by calling Fairweather, who is white
, "a white millionaire that the people do not need", telling him: "You pack up and you leave my island. [...] You don't belong here". He added that a white person could never understand the country, and thus could not provide the services that the people needed. (This was disputed by villagers, who pointed out that, under Fairweather, they had benefited from new school facilities, roads, and a greater access to water supplies.) The exchange, which had been filmed, was posted on You Tube, and made front page news in the Post-Courier, the country's largest-selling daily newspaper. The paper described Amet's words as "shamefully wrong and unbecoming of a state minister, especially coming from a the former Chief Justice of Papua New Guinea". In response, Amet "took out a full page advertisement" in the paper, in which he apologised to Fairweather and the people of Madang "for [his] unbecoming racial and abusive comments and behaviour".
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
n politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
.
He was the Governor of Madang Province
Madang Province
Madang is a province on the northern coast of mainland Papua New Guinea. The province has many of the country's highest peaks, active volcanoes and its biggest mix of languages...
from November 2007 to December 2010, whereupon he resigned the position to be appointed Minister for Justice and Attorney General in Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare
Michael Somare
Sir Michael Thomas Somare, GCL, GCMG, CH, CF, KStJ, MP was Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea from 2002 to 2011; he had previously been Prime Minister from independence in 1975 until 1980 and again from 1982 until 1985. Somare's first two terms were as a member of the Pangu Party, but he then...
's Cabinet. He held these positions until the government was brought down by a parliamentary motion of no confidence in August 2011, whereupon he was relegated to the Opposition benches.
He is a member of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea
National Parliament of Papua New Guinea
The National Parliament of Papua New Guinea is the unicameral national legislature in Papua New Guinea. It was first created in 1964 as the House of Assembly of Papua and New Guinea, but gained its current name with the granting of independence in 1975....
, having been elected
Results of the Papua New Guinean general election, 2007
Counting of the official results of the Papua New Guinean general election to elect members of the 2007–2012 National Parliament, held from 30 June 2007 to 14 July 2007, was largely completed by 6 August, the deadline for the return of writs. Counting in two seats was delayed for a further few days...
for the Madang Provincial Seat in the 2007 general election
Papua New Guinean general election, 2007
General elections were held in Papua New Guinea from 30 June 2007 to 14 July 2007.For the first time, the election did not use first past the post , but rather Limited Preferential Voting, in which voters number...
.
Sir Arnold has also been Chief Justice of Papua New Guinea, Chairman of the Manam
Manam
Manam, known locally as Manam Motu, is an island located in the Bismarck Sea across the Stephan Strait from the northeast coast of mainland Papua New Guinea. The island is 10 kilometers wide, and was created by the activity of the Manam Volcano, one of the country’s most active...
Humanitarian Committee, chair of the Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
Observer Group for Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
' elections, and a member of the international Eminent Persons Group tasked with assessing the political and human rights situation in Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
following its 2006 military coup
2006 Fijian coup d'état
The Fijian coup d'état of December 2006 occurred as a continuation of the pressure which had been building since the military unrest of the 2000 Fijian coup d'état and 2005-2006 Fijian political crisis....
.
Pacific Magazine in 2008 described Sir Arnold as "the likely successor of Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare when 'The Chief' steps down as head of the governing National Alliance Party
National Alliance Party (Papua New Guinea)
The National Alliance Party is a political party in Papua New Guinea. It was founded in 1995 by Bernard Narokobi, Moi Avei, Bart Philemon and Masket Iangalio, who invited Sir Michael Somare to lead them to the 1997 elections after he had been sacked as leader of the Pangu Party.National Alliance...
."
Controversy
In April 2011, Amet organised a meeting in Madang so that landowners potentially affected by a proposed Pacific Marine Industrial Zone could express their views and concerns to members of the government. Local MP Ken FairweatherKen Fairweather
Ken Fairweather is a Papua New Guinean politician.He was first elected to the National Parliament in the 2007 general election, as independent MP for the Sumkar Open constituency in Madang Province, though he subsequently joined the People's National Congress Party. His election was notable as he...
attended, and criticised the project, describing it as a "con-job" which would not benefit his constituents. Fairweather also described Gabriel Kapris (the Minister for Commerce and Industry, who was present) as a stil-man, a Tok Pisin
Tok Pisin
Tok Pisin is a creole spoken throughout Papua New Guinea. It is an official language of Papua New Guinea and the most widely used language in that country...
word for a thief. Amet responded by calling Fairweather, who is white
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
, "a white millionaire that the people do not need", telling him: "You pack up and you leave my island. [...] You don't belong here". He added that a white person could never understand the country, and thus could not provide the services that the people needed. (This was disputed by villagers, who pointed out that, under Fairweather, they had benefited from new school facilities, roads, and a greater access to water supplies.) The exchange, which had been filmed, was posted on You Tube, and made front page news in the Post-Courier, the country's largest-selling daily newspaper. The paper described Amet's words as "shamefully wrong and unbecoming of a state minister, especially coming from a the former Chief Justice of Papua New Guinea". In response, Amet "took out a full page advertisement" in the paper, in which he apologised to Fairweather and the people of Madang "for [his] unbecoming racial and abusive comments and behaviour".