Rabbie Namaliu

{{Short description|Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea from 1988 to 1992}}

{{Redirect|Rabbie|the Scottish poet|Robert Burns|the Scottish footballer|Rabbie Beveridge}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific_prefix = The Right Honourable

| name = Sir Rabbie Namaliu

| honorific_suffix = {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|GCL|KCMG|PC}}

| image = Rabbie Namaliu 2012 (cropped).png

| caption = Namaliu in 2012

| order = 4th

| office = Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea

| term_start = 4 July 1988

| term_end = 17 July 1992

| monarch = Elizabeth II

| governor_general = {{ubl|Sir Kingsford Dibela | Sir Ignatius Kilage | Sir Vincent Eri | Sir Wiwa Korowi}}

| predecessor = Paias Wingti

| successor = Paias Wingti

| birth_name = Rabbie Langanai Namaliu

| birth_date = {{birth date|1947|4|3|df=y}}

| birth_place = East New Britain Province, Territory of New Guinea (now Papua New Guinea)

| death_date = {{death date and age|2023|3|31|1947|4|3|df=y}}

| death_place = Rabaul, Papua New Guinea

| spouse = {{marriage|Margaret Nakikus||1992|end=d}}

| children = 6

| alma_mater = {{ubl|University of Papua New Guinea|University of Victoria}}

| nationality = Papua New Guinean citizenship

| party = Pangu

}}

Sir Rabbie Langanai Namaliu {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|GCL|KCMG|PC}} (3 April 1947 – 31 March 2023) was a Papua New Guinean politician. He served as the fourth prime minister of Papua New Guinea[http://australianetwork.com/news/profiles/sirrabbienamaliu.htm Rabbie Namaliu], Australian Network, accessed December 2010 from 4 July 1988 to 17 July 1992 as leader of the Pangu Party.

Biography

Namaliu was born in East New Britain Province, Territory of New Guinea on 3 April 1947.{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T5pPpJl8E5wC&dq=Rabbie+Namaliu+3+April+1947&pg=PA298 | title=The Pacific Islands: An Encyclopedia | isbn=9780824822651 | last1=Lal | first1=Brij V. | last2=Fortune | first2=Kate | date=January 2000 | publisher=University of Hawaii Press }} An ethnic Tolai, Namaliu came from East New Britain. He was educated in Papua New Guinea and in Canada, at the University of Victoria in Victoria, British Columbia. Prior to his political career he was an academic in the field of political science at the University of Papua New Guinea.

After Papua New Guinea's independence in 1975, Namaliu was one of four leading civil servants, together with Mekere Morauta, Anthony Siaguru, and Charles Lepani who led the formation of public administration and public policy in PNG's immediate post-independence years. They were often called "Gang of Four".{{cite web |last1=Lepi |first1=David |title=The four most influential men |url=https://www.thenational.com.pg/the-four-most-influential-men/ |website=The National |access-date=3 February 2022}}

Before becoming prime minister, he served as foreign minister for the first time, from 1982 to 1984, by this time beginning his long alliance with Michael Somare, who was prime minister at that time and served as foreign minister while Namaliu was prime minister. Namaliu was appointed Leader of the Opposition in June 1988.{{cite web |title=PAPUA NEW GUINEA (National Parliament) |url=https://www.appf.org.pe/members/017abou3.htm |date=23 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230923095312/https://www.appf.org.pe/members/017abou3.htm |archive-date=23 September 2023 }} and replaced Paias Wingti as the Prime Minister in July 1988.

He was appointed foreign minister in 2002, as part of the National Alliance Party government of Michael Somare. He served as foreign minister until 12 July 2006 when he became finance minister during a cabinet reshuffle. Namaliu subsequently lost his seat of Kokopo Open at the 2007 Election but had not ruled out a future return to politics. He lost his cabinet post when the new government, again led by Somare, took office in August 2007.

As a former prime minister of Papua New Guinea, he was a member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom from 1989, and was styled "The Right Honourable" with the postnominal letters 'P.C.'.

Namaliu married the civil servant, Margaret Nakikus, in 1987. She headed the country's National Planning Office. They had two son and a daughter. After his defeat in parliament in 1992 he left politics to be with Nakikus, who had incurable leukaemia and was in hospital in Brisbane, Australia. She died in 1992.{{cite web |title=PNG'S NAMALIU HANGS ONTO PANGU PATI PARTY |url=http://www.pireport.org/articles/2004/02/27/png%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%99s-namaliu-hangs-pangu-pati-party |website=Pacific Islands Report |access-date=10 October 2021}}

Namaliu died on 31 March 2023, at the age of 75 about 3 days before his 76th birthday.{{cite web |last1=Jackson |first1=Keith |title=Ex-PM Namaliu dies suddenly in Rabaul |url=https://www.pngattitude.com/2023/04/ex-pm-rabbie-namaliu-dies-suddenly-in-rabaul.html |website=PNG Attitude |access-date=2 April 2023 |date=1 April 2023}}