Papua New
Guinean Prime Minister Michael Somare’s disdain for John Howard is part
of the background noise as Australia and its northern neighbour try to
get back in step on the deployment of Australian police to PNG. The 160
Australian police were stripped of their legal immunity and had to
leave PNG after the successful Supreme Court challenge to the Enhanced
Co-operation Program.

Somare, though, has barely disguised his
hostility towards the $800 million program ever since a monumental
argument with Howard in Townsville in July 2003. The prime ministers of
Australia, New Zealand, PNG, Fiji and Tonga had gathered to farewell
RAMSI, the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands.

Somare
and Howard had a one-to-one meeting that is still regular grist to the
Port Moresby rumour mill, with the story being that Somare ended up
“bouncing off the walls.” The Somare version is that Howard told him
that after the Solomons, PNG was next. Whatever words Australia’s PM
used to explain the new hands-on approach to PNG, what Somare heard
amounted to “we’re coming after you.”

The relationship went from
bad to abysmal the following month at the Pacific Islands forum in
Auckland. Somare led the push to block the Australian candidate for the
job of Forum secretary-general, Greg Urwin. PNG’s leader seemed to have
the numbers on the first day, with his argument that the top job is
reserved for Islanders. Why break a tradition built over three decades
and let in a white bloke? Australia or New Zealand could continue to
fill one of the deputy’s jobs at the Suva secretariat and pick up all
the bills.

Howard suggested the leaders sleep on the issue.
While Somare retired satisfied with his imminent victory, Howard went
to work and put together a surprise win for Urwin. The Somare view of
Australia still carries the scars, as demonstrated by the tantrum he
threw about having to take off his shoes when going through security at
Brisbane airport.

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