Peter Yama seems to have mastered the PR machine at the moment. He has launched a party under the name of Labour, and has styled his campaign as a campaign for "new leadership". But is he all that as he claims?

Yama is an ex-cop of Engan extract. He ventured into business in Madang, and depending on who you talk to, rose through less than dubious acts, to become a millionaire. But his fortunes really took off when he was elected on a PPP ticket and became transport minister in SIr Julius Chan's government. He lost his seat, Sumkar, in the last election and since then, his businesses have hit the skids, with numerous lucrative security contracts with government enterprises, secured when he was a GOvernment Minister, cancelled and creditors seeking to foreclose on his massive loans. But somehow he has escaped all that and has found enough in his kitty to fund his new party and his campaign (which must be costing hundreds of thousands of kina).

The question: is he a "new leader" or is he just more of the same.

Yupela tingting olsem wanem?

Mi personally, I wouldn't vote for him. And I would not vote for anyone running in his party.

You forgot to add that if the PNG Gov't is forced to pay out on all of his cancelled contracts,the country will be bankrupted as so far he has claims totalling over K22 million against the Gov't and Gov't corporations.These cancelled contracts,all unfulfilled were the result of shifty and unethical deals made between Yama and cronies and are grossly unfair as security guards are all employed on a casual basis and if a company has a contract which is cancelled,there is no way that he has to continue to pay his guards.There is also the subject of his guards salaries anyway.Ask any Yama security gurad about his "fotnait" and you will be shocked at the inadequacy.A future leader who cares for his people?I don't think so!

With due respect to Mr.Peter Yama's deocratic rights to politics in PNG, I feel so uncertain of his motives in his elections pursues coz I see nothing, but alot of desperadoes and mere invisible sounds declaring war and creating enermies with the people (MPS) who also are in parliament for one purpose ( to serve our people and lead our country for better). Notably, PDM...yama should not fight the MPS, rather the PDM policies and culture hence come up with what he thinks should be changed or scraped...I have not seen his plans, and vision on how to lead and manage PNG... it is not easy as our words say to run a country like PNG, ...

Only smart leaders with real heart for the people and the country would wish to have no enermies with our own people( MPS)coz we need to build our country together. Any leader or party who/which declares war against ourselves is NOT A TRUE LEADER/PARTY thus PETER YAMA IS NO EXCLUSION....

We need to work together and I Dislike people who preach disunity...

Bro, you are correct..."empty drums make lots of noises" because there is nothing inside them. Yama is only touch in people's emotions and feelings to lure vote. All along I have studied his public speeches through the media and realised that these were all having no substance as it reflects his lower level of intellect and lack of knowldege.

He is one of those business icon and a desparado impatiently wisht to get hold onto power to extend his business interests and overthrow some of his rivals like Pius Wingtin..who is an empty tin himself.

Bad guys are hungry for riches and greed is taking its toll in this year's election....43 political parties?

I agree with what you've written but there's more to it than that. As well as being a populist and demagogue, he's a really bent and dangerous person. In Madang, if you say something about him that he's not happy with, you run the risk of getting a visit from his goons (who include some of the cops here) who will threaten you and your wife and kids. How does a grassroot cope with that? Even people like Stanley Pil have had their property damaged by Yama's mob. John Hickey and Anthony Siaguru (among others) have had guns pulled on them by him. No-one seems to have the guts to stand up to him. I haven't - I've got a family to worry about.

Anyone out there got any advice?

Let him do whatever he wants. The history tells that every smart ass get traumatised easily when their high hopes are not being met through popular support.

His own actions will destroy his strengths and rough tactics. The price of pride and big-headed will come one day. Time is the natural medicine and an antedote to redeem the victims off from such people.

Do not vote him and his PLP.

Late last week someone was shot in Sisiak settlement in Madang. The poor bloke had pulled down some of Yama's election posters from the walls of a trade store on the owner's instructions. Yama sent his boys out there and had him shot, once in the guts and once in the leg. No reports of this in the media. Police action? Nothing.

I ask again - how are we going to get rid of this filth?

Could you tell us then, what is your option of dealing with Yama? It would be nice to get some of your views.

What you heard from the grape-vine could be true but some over generalisation could not establish reality. If the people are sure that it is the making of Mr. Yama then I suggest you people in Madang should work together to sort this out.

Obviously someone has got to do something. The history has shown from overseas or anywhere that the power of people as a community can make a difference. It is because you saw the problem and could not react positively to get authorities work underground to unearth some of this crook's activities (including corrupt policemen).

Nothing is impossible. We can't runway from problems and look somewhere else for help. The solution is right in front of us. But because we are so bogged down with his superficial charisma and previous bad records we thing we can not handle him.

It requires wisdom and intelligence to topple him and not violence. Work with him, use him, be his friend and you would know from inside where his weaknesses are and .... bang you go, get him from there! It is like a covet operation. He would not know if you are smart....I will not say more because you know...?????

Bro, as far as I can see the only light on the horizon is the Ombudsman Commission. If, God forbid, the people of Usino-Bundi are stupid enough to elect him, the Ombudsman has enough on him from when he was in parliament last time to set a Leadership Tribunal on to him. But then, he's been known to bribe and imtimidate judges before.

Yama is a conman. He is not what he is trying to make people believe. He's using the media to portray himself as the saviour of PNG. But the fact remains that he's been there (in politics) before, and was one of the people who ran this country down. People would be stupid to believe his nonsense.

At this point in PNG's short Independence period No one leader who has been elected to parliament has shown charisma and REAL Leadership during 1997-2001. And remember Peter Yama was a former minister, what policies did he implement then that need to be revived today? I cannot recall any policies that he did implement, and also what are his party policies?
I don't know what makes him the talk of the nation, he hasn't done anything yet and never did!

He's the real thing alright - a real crook, a real thief and a real thug. PLP's convention over Easter saw endorsements being auctioned off to the highest bidder and Riwo village and surrounds were turned into one huge toilet. Madang's foreshore was littered with garbage and pekpek. If he becomes PM, all of PNG will turn into a tiolet.

No offence to his fans out there but,,hey who'd wanna vote in on someone who had been behind the bars,and oh yeah,wasn't he the one who tried to get in the way of one of the planes about to take off?

the point is, I can't find any true leadership qualities in him..

mi no ting...he would be the worse natural disaster that has ever happen to this beautiful country of ours...

he crying over spill milk n he will be in his brillaint best to suck all the milk he comes across..n i tell you there's not much left..

olsem tok tasol ..yumi yet skelim..
over to you ol wantok...

jim bim

Brats, mi ting Jim Kas tasol i go long kalabus na stopim balus. Yama tu?

Makin tok blo mi, Yama bai lus long ileksen.

I think yama is just full of bull****. Like they say old dogs can't learns new tricks. We would be fooled to think he has turned a new leaf. All he wants is the power and the money.

Don't they all want power and money.

Please do explain yourself before long

It turns out that the "security guard" who shot the bloke at Sisiak 3 in Madang for pulling down one of Yama's election posters is Yama's brother. The police have asked him to show cause why his gun licence should not be revoked. But he's not been charged with unlawful wounding. Could this have anything to do with the fact that the task force is living at Yama's hotel?