Paias Wingti facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paias Wingti
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Wingti in 2018
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| 3rd Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea | |
| In office 17 July 1992 – 30 August 1994 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor-General | Sir Wiwa Korowi |
| Preceded by | Sir Rabbie Namaliu |
| Succeeded by | Sir Julius Chan |
| In office 21 November 1985 – 4 July 1988 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor-General | Sir Kingsford Dibela |
| Preceded by | Sir Michael Somare |
| Succeeded by | Sir Rabbie Namaliu |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 2 February 1951 Moika Village, Territory of Papua and New Guinea |
| Nationality |  Papua New Guinean |
| Political party | Pangu Party (Until 1985) People's Democratic Movement (1985-Present) |
| Alma mater | University of Papua New Guinea |
Paias Wingti (born 2 February 1951) is a well-known Papua New Guinean politician. He served as the third Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea. He held this important role twice: first from 1985 to 1988, and then again from 1992 to 1994.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Paias Wingti comes from the Jika Tribe, which is in the Western Highlands province of Papua New Guinea. He was born in a village called Moika, close to Mount Hagen. He started school a little later than most, at the age of 10.
He went to Mount Hagen High School for his education. In 1974, he began studying at the University of Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby. While at university, he visited Australia as a student representative. In 1977, during his final year studying Economics, he decided to enter politics. He ran in the national election and won the seat for Hagen Open. After winning, he joined the Pangu Party, led by Michael Somare.
Political Journey and Leadership
Paias Wingti began his political career as the Minister for Civil Aviation in 1978. He held this job until the government changed in 1980. When Michael Somare's party returned to power in 1982, Wingti became the Deputy Prime Minister.
In 1985, he decided to leave the Pangu Party. He then started his own political group called the People's Democratic Movement. This made him the Leader of the Opposition. In November 1985, he led a successful vote to change the government. This meant he became the third Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea at just 34 years old. Julius Chan, who had been the second prime minister, became Wingti's deputy. In 1987, he was given the special title of a Privy Councillor.
Leading the Nation
After the 1987 election, Paias Wingti managed to stay in power. His party won by a very small number of votes. He announced that Papua New Guinea would have a more independent foreign policy. This meant he wanted to improve relationships with many countries, including the Soviet Union, the U.S., Japan, and China.
In July 1988, he lost a vote of confidence, which meant he was no longer prime minister. Rabbie Namaliu, the new leader of the Pangu Party, took over. However, Wingti became prime minister again in 1992 for another two years. During his second time as prime minister, there was more unrest in the Bougainville region. In August 1994, Julius Chan took over from him.
Continuing in Parliament
Even after his time as prime minister, Paias Wingti continued to represent the Western Highlands in the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea. In 1995, he changed from representing his local area to representing the whole province.
Wingti served as the governor of Western Highlands Province from 1995 to 1997. He later returned to parliament in 2002, winning back his seat and the governorship. In 2007, he also regained leadership of the People's Democratic Movement. However, he lost his bid for re-election in the 2007 election. He lost to Tom Olga, partly because of a new voting system.
In July 2012, Paias Wingti ran in the general elections again. He won against Tom Olga and was elected Governor of Western Highlands Province. On 3 August 2012, he was one of three former prime ministers who supported Peter O'Neil to remain as prime minister of Papua New Guinea.
