Posted By Staff Reporter
By David Levi Behind this charming and unfailing gracious persona lies a shrewd and an unflinching calculative mind. A mind of a brilliant and accomplished political tactician the country has ever seen. Peter Parre O’Neill is the maker and breaker of political parties, a mover and a shaker of political wills and even those whims of titanium craftily engineered by the seasoned and well-placed hands that many people thought wouldn’t stand the test of the boy from Ialibu/political. His political ingenuity is legendary as his business escapades. Born as Paire in Melipini, Muamune council ward to Brian O'Neill, an Australian-born magistrate of partial Irish descent and local mother Awambo Yari, from Pangia Southern Highlands Province. In Paire's veins runs Kamari- the blood of those destined for higher calling. O'Neill was educated at the Pangia Primary School, Ialibu High School and Goroka High School. After leaving high school he received a Bachelor of Accountancy and Commerce from the University of Papua New Guinea, in 1986. Armed with an accounting degree and as a certified accountant O’Neill set off to distinguish himself as a successful businessman.
At the young tender age of 22 O’Neill was already director and shareholder of Trans PNG Services Pty Ltd in 1987. But first, he needed to make his bones in accounting. A profession he loved. After a short stint though but respectful business acquaintance with Coopers and Lybrand - a reputable Australian accounting firm now PricewaterhouseCoopers - O’Neill set off again now to really get a bite on something he himself can get his hands on. O’Neill decided to start his own accounting firm Pratley and O’Neill with friend and business partner Maurice Pratley and at it became an instant success. And that was enough for O’Neill to venture out into the uncharted waters of the corporate world to stamp his own mark. O’Neill’s empire cannot be seen on any map but he has carved out a sizable world in Aviation, Retail, Property management, Funeral services, Construction, Information Technology, Mining support services, Hotel management, Financial services, Hospitality and Brewery. His business ventures provide thousands of jobs and income for families. Equally strong and vigilant in business O’Neill has a soft spot caring for others. He is a renowned philanthropist. His O’Neill foundation took care of many disadvantaged families in medical care, school fees, housing and has a hand to assist in many challenges in life people go through. O’Neill likes to relate to people so well. He speaks several languages fluently let alone his local vernacular, Imbonggu and Wiru with the perfection of a local raconteur. He is a very ‘cool and charismatic man, with a brilliantly incisive mind and has a swarthy complexion. He has the face of a hawk, a predator. When he chose to take the trouble, Pairre can be extremely charming. He enjoys the challenge of figuring out what it is that people are really after, for it is rarely what it appears to be. His analytical mind is always sceptical of surface truth, and as a consequence he believes in nothing he is told and trusts no one. His motto is "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." Some political pundits put it that if the Grand Chief Sir Michael is the father of our nation, then Peter Pairre O’Niell is the epitome of infrastructure investment. During his popular reign he provided exactly what mattered in people’s lives and on the broader what mattered for the country. With his investment shrewdness he took calculated risks for a greater return and that included loans with surgical precision to stimulate the economy and for infrastructure development. Politics is the game he plays and plays so well. O’Neill pulled through some of the smartest political coups, government formations and events of national and international grandeur with the ingenuity, grace and ease that always make it look so simple like a child’s play. Today leaders complain about mistakes of past governments and the Covid-19 economy yet they could do nothing. O’Neill was at the helm of navigating a country plunged by high inflation- coupled by rising debt - as a result of low commodity prices with export returns so low yet he spoke not a word but went to work. Speaking less of the problems and prevailing challenges O’Niell was confident to weather the economic storm. As an astute businessman he knew how to read the indicators and saw PNG’s revenue base was solid enough and capable of providing long-term repayment of the country’s debt as it was since independence. He saw more foreign investment will create more jobs and drive growth. And believed that if the country continues to invest in the right infrastructure, deliver the right social services and create opportunities and jobs for the people then PNG can be able to service its debts. His vision was simple; Broaden our revenue base; live within our means; continue to make better use of our domestically produced resources; and continue to improve our resilience to economic shocks. In politics Paire smashed the country’s oldest political party, PANGU, a major opponent in 2017 National Elections and the largest party in the opposition. Not only that he absorbed PANGU members into the government ranks. The reporters who chronicle Paire’s life are permitted to see only his geniality and charm, the sophisticated, urbane man of Papua New Guinea. They have no reason to suspect that beneath the amiable façade is a lethal machine, a gutter fighter whose instinct is to go for the jugular vein. He doesn’t like lose ends. He remembers every affront he had ever suffered in his political game and those who were unlucky enough to incur his enmity are paid back a hundredfold. They are never aware of it, for O’Neill’s mathematical mind make a game of exacting retribution, patiently working out elaborate traps and spinning complex webs that finally catch and destroys his enemies. Now he had a well deserved break from active politics and is bidding his time. The mistakes of the incumbent regime are piling each day is playing out so well for O’Neill. In time all scores will be settled. 2022 the hour of reckoning is fast approaching and soon they will know that they were up against Paire, the old dog from Kauwe who knows the times so well. Next: Why Is Peter O'Neill Not Arrested And Charged Yet After All That Corruptions Allegations Labelled Against Him? Note: Let Your Views be heard : Send all your Political Commentaries to us through our email : pngfacts@gmail.com Share this Comments are closed.
|
PNG Politics WatchPNG Political analysis, Gossips ,Commentaries, news and ViewsPapua New Guinea Politics, news and commentaries . Send us your PNG Political view to us for publication on this page . Contact us |