Chan's end to the crisis

Although rallying enough support in Parliament on Tuesday to defeat a motion urging him to step down, Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister Sir Julius Chan could not win the hearts of much of PNG's general public. This resulted in widespread demands for his resignation following his controversial plan of hiring some 60 foreign mercenaries to help quell the armed rebellion on the copper-rich island of Bougainville.

As many analysts had predicted, Chan could not but bow down to the inevitable when he announced yesterday that he, along with the deputy prime minister and the minister of defense, would step aside during an investigation into the US$36 million mercenary contract that had preceded a 10-day long turmoil, public riots and looting.

Chan's timely decision to bow down to mounting public pressure reflects his realistic stance in overcoming the country's current political crisis, the worst to occur since PNG gained independence from Australia 22 years ago.

Chan, considered to be one of PNG's founding fathers and reformers, has acted prudently to resign from his premiership knowing that he could no longer rule effectively when the country's stability was at stake.

Thousands of PNG people and troops loyal to the deposed military leader, Brigadier General Jerry Singirok, jubilantly welcomed the news of Chan's resignation.

Many believe that Chan's resignation could end the current crisis sparked by the mercenary fiasco.

From the very beginning, Chan's plan to hire foreign mercenaries of the Sandline International had been strongly opposed by PNG military leader, Brig. Gen Singirok, who was sacked by Chan, as well as opposition members in parliament that include former prime ministers Michael Somare and Paias Wingti.

Although Chan had argued that his hiring of the foreign mercenaries was in the national interest in that the copper mine on Bougainville, an island some 800 kilometers northeast of PNG capital of Port Moresby, could return to normal production levels to boost the country's economy, his decision was nevertheless regarded as unpopular and was taken without approval from parliament.

It is understandable that for the people of PNG, most of whom still live in poverty and are familiar with a system where political power and allegiances can often be traded, the government spending of $36 million to pay the foreign mercenaries was not only intolerable but also a discredit to the country's credibility, especially for a sovereign nation-state such as PNG.

Governor General Sir Wiwa Korowi has explicitly expressed this sentiment.

"It is a flaw of this type that throws this country's credibility to the dogs," Korowi said.

Now that Chan has resigned, we hope that the caretaker government will in no time restore stability and order so that the economy of the country will regain its normality.

We are of the opinion that unless political stability is returned quickly, PNG's economy and development will set back the country's painstakingly undertaken progress of the past few years.

We also believe that the economy and growth of PNG, regardless of who governs the administration, is the most important factor that the caretaker government has to take into consideration.

An unstable PNG, obviously, will not benefit neighboring countries, especially Indonesia with which it has a common border.