H.E. Grand Chief Sir Bob Bofeng Dadae, GCL, GCMG, KStJ, Governor General of Papua New Guinea, has paid tribute to former Prime Minister and Member for Kokopo, Rt. Hon. Sir Rabbie Namaliu.
Sir Rabbie Namaliu passed away last Friday in his home province East New Britain.
In his tribute, Grand Chief Sir Bob described the late Sir Rabbie Namaliu as “a man of honour and great dignity” and a proud Papua New Guinean who exemplified outstanding leadership during his term as the fourth Prime Minister of our country.
“Sir Rabbie was one our country’s finest leaders and senior Statesman. His was a service of honour and great dignity. His career in the public service began pre independence and he was one of the few Papua New Guineans that put together the public service policies as well as the National Constitution. Sir Rabbie was a proud Papua New Guinean passionate about upholding the rule of law and especially the National Constitution. I had the rare honour and privilege of being in the company of our former Prime Ministers Sir Rabbie, Sir Julius Chan and our Founding Father the late Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare in New Ireland province in 2020. Each of these great men had a left a lasting impression on me. For Sir Rabbie, I was honoured by the presence of a man of great dignity, a proud Tolai (East New Britain) and above all, a passionate and proud Papua New Guinean and senior Statesman. The passing of Sir Rabbie Namaliu is a great loss for our nation and the people of East New Britain.
Lady Emeline joins me in conveying to the immediate family and people of East New Britain, our condolences as well as our thoughts and prayers during this time of mourning. May God’s grace be our comfort and guidance during this difficult time.” Grand Chief Sir Bob Dadae.
