By GORETHY KENNETH
TWO former premiers and allies of newly-elected Bougainville president John Momis are back in power with new ideas to bring the region forward and put the House back in order.
Leo Hannett, now 65, and Dr Alexius Sarei, 76, are Bougainville politicians who first came to prominence in the 1970s.
Mr Hannett was the premier of Bougainville from 1981-1985 and in 2002 was the region�s regional member until unseated by current MP Fidelis Semoso.
According to records Mr Hannett was Bougainville�s best deliverer in terms of commerce and trade in early government days and Dr Sarei was heavy on development for Bougainville but could only do so much.
Their leader now, president Momis, is Papua New Guinea�s constitution icon, was the former governor, former Bougainville Transitional Government leader and until late last year, ambassador to China.
Mr Momis, and his New Bougainville Party dominate the assembly with new MPs including Mr Hannett and Dr Sarei, who both served as premiers of the province in the 70s and 80s.
But Mr Momis believes the older men can still bring new direction to the struggling province.
He comes back as Bougainville�s president at the age of 71. This week Mr Momis said these �old timer� leaders will help him bring his government forward. He claimed that the outgoing leadership had ideas that were outdated and people had rejected those ideas, and especially rejecting the issues of corruption, mismanagement and political misdemeanor.
�We want new ideas. New blood doesn�t necessarily mean that people possess new ideas.�
TWO former premiers and allies of newly-elected Bougainville president John Momis are back in power with new ideas to bring the region forward and put the House back in order.
Leo Hannett, now 65, and Dr Alexius Sarei, 76, are Bougainville politicians who first came to prominence in the 1970s.
Mr Hannett was the premier of Bougainville from 1981-1985 and in 2002 was the region�s regional member until unseated by current MP Fidelis Semoso.
According to records Mr Hannett was Bougainville�s best deliverer in terms of commerce and trade in early government days and Dr Sarei was heavy on development for Bougainville but could only do so much.
Their leader now, president Momis, is Papua New Guinea�s constitution icon, was the former governor, former Bougainville Transitional Government leader and until late last year, ambassador to China.
Mr Momis, and his New Bougainville Party dominate the assembly with new MPs including Mr Hannett and Dr Sarei, who both served as premiers of the province in the 70s and 80s.
But Mr Momis believes the older men can still bring new direction to the struggling province.
He comes back as Bougainville�s president at the age of 71. This week Mr Momis said these �old timer� leaders will help him bring his government forward. He claimed that the outgoing leadership had ideas that were outdated and people had rejected those ideas, and especially rejecting the issues of corruption, mismanagement and political misdemeanor.
�We want new ideas. New blood doesn�t necessarily mean that people possess new ideas.�