H.E. Grand Chief Sir Bob Bofeng Dadae, GCL, GCMG, KStJ, Governor General of Papua New Guinea, is urging all Papua New Guineans throughout the country to come together to honour and celebrate the life of our nation’s founding Father the late Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare.
Friday 25th February 2023, has been declared a Public Holiday in honour of the death of Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare, two years ago.
Grand Chief Sir Bob said, Grand Chief Sir Michael was a unique one-of-a-kind individual who rose up against the tide of injustice, oppression and doubt to bring together a nation of a thousand tribe and language into one united country in a short period of time.
“Tomorrow, Friday 25th February, has been set aside as a day to remember and honour our Founding Father, the late Grand Chief Sir Michael Thomas Somare. Two years ago, Grand Chief Sir Michael was called to rest after more than half a century of illustrious dedicated service to our beautiful country. His was an extraordinary life of self-belief, pride and determination to bring our people into independence and self-rule, as the rightful custodians of this nation we have been blessed with. As a nation, we have faced many challenges along the way. But we have done so as a country united despite our cultural differences. That is the legacy of our Founding Father. Two years from now, we will celebrate our 50 years of independence. May we always strive for unity, peace and harmony amongst our fellow countrymen and women regardless of our culture, province, education and economic background. Respect for authorities and the rule of law must be strongly encouraged and enforced if we want to see positive change in our society. May the foundations laid by those who have gone before us not be brought to nothing, but instead, shine a light guiding us towards the best outcomes for our nation’s development and our people’s well being and prosperity now and into the future,” Grand Chief Sir Bob said.
