Ex-Papua New Guinea Leader, 52
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Papua New Guinea’s former prime minister, William Skate, died at a hospital in Brisbane, Australia, yesterday, an official said. Skate was 52, and suffered a stroke last week.
He was elected a member of Parliament in 1992 and became prime minister in 1997 in the aftermath of the so-called Sandline affair, in which his predecessor, Julius Chan, paid mercenaries to put down a rebellion in the country’s Bougainville province.
The move led to a military mutiny that ultimately cost Chan his job.
In a 1997 interview, Skate said his rise from Port Moresby’s slums to the leadership of the nation of 5 million should be an example to all.
He denied claims that he’d been a gang member.
“Well, I’ve been accused that I’ve been a member of the rascal gang. I think that would be quite incorrect,” he said. “I do live in the settlements, among the rascals. Because … that was where I was brought up – and I know the problems.”
