By DALCY LULUA
The body of the late Governor of Morobe, Luther Akisawa Wenge will lie in state in the Grand Hall of Parliament on Thursday, 2nd October 2025.
On Thursday at 10am, the hearse carrying the late leader will arrive through Independence Boulevard and be received at the Parliament precincts by the Speaker Job Pomat, who will formally welcome the pallbearers and bearer party.
The casket will then be ushered into the Grand Hall and placed at the designated position, guarded by the catafalque party. This solemn moment will allow leaders, colleagues, and citizens to pay their respects during the official viewing.
Governor Wenge was a statesman whose political career spanned more than two decades. A lawyer by profession, he was first elected to the sixth Parliament in 1997, re-elected in 2002 and 2007, and returned to the 11th Parliament in 2022 as the Regional Member and Governor for Morobe.
He served in various parliamentary committees including Foreign Affairs and Trade, Industry and Industrial Relations, Social Development, Plans and Estimates, and Provincial and Local Government Reforms.
He later contributed as Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Referral Committee on Education, a member of the Committees on Law and Order, Pensions and Retirement Benefits, and Standing Orders, and as Chairman of the Select Committee on the Ombudsman Commission.
Most recently, in May 2025, he was appointed to the Special Committee on Child and Youth Wellbeing.
Beyond Parliament, he also served as Chairman of the Momase Regional Governor’s Council from 1997 to 2003 and launched the Pipol First Party in Lae in 2001, underscoring his commitment to people-centered leadership.
Following the official viewing, the pallbearers will carry the casket out of the Grand Hall, and the hearse will depart Parliament for the Sioni Kami Memorial Church, where a funeral service will be held. From there, the casket will be taken to the family residence at Kennedy Estate before being transferred to the Funeral Home at Erima.
The following morning, Friday, 3rd October 2025, the journey to his beloved home province begins. At 6:00 am, the hearse will leave Erima for the Air Niugini cargo terminal. The casket, accompanied by distinguished visitors and family, will depart Port Moresby on PX102 at 8:50 am for Tomodachi International Airport, Nadzab, Morobe Province.
Upon arrival at 9:35 am, the late leader will be met by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Lands & Immigration, John Rosso, who is also the Member for Lae, along with Members of Parliament, the Provincial Administrator, and officials of the Morobe Provincial Government.
In a symbolic handover, the Speaker of Parliament will officially entrust the casket to Deputy Prime Minister Rosso, marking the transition of responsibility for the funeral program to the Morobe Provincial Government and administration.