- Don Polye
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Don Polye is a Papua New Guinean politician from Enga Province. He was the Minister for Transport and Civil Aviation from July 2006 to August 2009. Sir Michael Somare, the Prime Minister, appointed Polye to that position in July 2006 as part of a Cabinet reshuffle. [1]
Polye was first elected in 2002 to the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea representing the Kandep Open electorate as a member of the National Alliance Party and was later promoted to the ministry. As Minister for Civil Aviation he introduced an "open air" policy ensuring that Air Niugini faced competition from other airlines starting from 2007. [2]
Polye was rushed from a political rally in his Kandep electorate in June 2007 after shots were fired. A rival candidate for his seat was later charged with attempted murder. [3]
Polye was removed from his position as Member of Parliament on 14 August 2009 when the National Court determined that his victory in the 2007 general election was invalid.[4] The judge's ruling included the observation that it was hard to believe that some polling stations had returned a 100% vote for Polye.[5] The by-election for the seat took place on 9 November 2009, and Polye ran as a candidate.[6] He was successful in regaining his seat.
In July 2010, he replaced Puka Temu as deputy Prime Minister, when the latter tried unsuccessfully to unseat Prime Minister Somare through a parliamentary motion of no confidence.[7] Polye himself was removed as deputy Prime Minister on 7 December 2010, in an impromptu cabinet reshuffle conducted under what Australia's ABC News called "unusual circumstances".[8] However he was appointed as Papua New Guinea's foreign minister later in December 2010, holding that position until another cabinet reshuffle in June 2011. He rejoined the Cabinet in August 2011, as Finance minister in the caretaker cabinet of the new prime minister, Peter O'Neill.
References
- ^ Prime Minister of New Guinea media release "SIR MICHAEL MAKES MAJOR CABINET RESHUFFLE" 5 July 2006
- ^ "Air Brunei set to offer competition for Papua New Guinea carrier". Radio New Zealand International. 3 March 2006. http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=22604. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
- ^ The Age, "Rival denies shooting at PNG's deputy PM" 19 June 2007
- ^ Post-Courier, "Polye out" 17 August 2009
- ^ The National, "Red-faced", 28 August 2009
- ^ Post-Courier, "H’lands ‘hope’ back to polls" 27 August 2009
- ^ "Somare jets off after cementing rule", The Australian, 23 July 2010
- ^ Fox, Liam: Deputy PM sacked in PNG shake-up, ABC News, 8 December 2010.
Categories:- Deputy Prime Ministers of Papua New Guinea
- Members of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea
- Living people
- National Alliance Party (Papua New Guinea) politicians
- Papua New Guinean people stubs
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