Sam Akoitai, born 5 May 1961 in
Bougainville,
["Hon. Sam Akoitai MP"](_blank)
, Asia Downunder Conference was a
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
n politician, a member of the
United Resources Party
The United Resources Party is a political party in Papua New Guinea.
Foundation, Agiru and Akoitai's leadership
It was established in December 1997 by Southern Highlands Governor Anderson Agiru, who became the inaugural leader. Its platform em ...
.
Akoitai joined the Bougainville Copper Limited company in 1978, and worked there for eight years.
In 1990, he became involved in the
Bougainvillean civil war, leading a resistance movement against the
Bougainville Revolutionary Army
The Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) was a secessionist group formed in 1988 by Bougainvilleans seeking independence from Papua New Guinea (PNG). The leader of the BRA was Francis Ona who led the BRA against the Papua New Guinea Defence Force ...
(BRA), and subsequently participated in the ensuing peace process. During the war, he was abducted by the BRA, and several members of his family were murdered. He initiated peace talks with the BRA in 1994.
In 1997, Akoitai took part in the Papua New Guinean general election, and was elected Member of Parliament for Central Bougainville. He was appointed Minister for Bougainville Affairs in the government of Prime Minister
Bill Skate
Sir William Jack Skate (26 September 1953 – 3 January 2006) was a prominent Papua New Guinea politician. He was the son of an Australian father and a Papua New Guinean mother. Though his career was turbulent and often marked by setbacks, he s ...
. In 1999, he was appointed to the State Ministry. He lost his position in government when Skate lost office to
Mekere Morauta
The Right Honourable Sir Mekere Morauta (12 June 1946 – 19 December 2020) was a Papua New Guinean politician and economist who served as the 7th Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea from 1999 to 2002. Inheriting a depressed economy and a fra ...
later that year.
In the 2002 general reelection, Akoitai retained his parliamentary seat, and was appointed Minister responsible for Mining, Environment, Conservation and Correctional Institution Services by Prime Minister
Michael Somare
Sir Michael Thomas Somare (9 April 1936 – 26 February 2021) was a Papua New Guinean politician. Widely called the "father of the nation" (), he was the first Prime Minister after independence. At the time of his death, Somare was also the lo ...
.
In 2008, no longer a member of the national government, he took part in the
Bougainvillean presidential election, and finished second out of fourteen candidates, defeated by
.
"New Bougainville president promises unity"
ABC Radio Australia, 29 December 2008
Akoitai died on December 17, 2021.
References
1961 births
2021 deaths
People from the Autonomous Region of Bougainville
Members of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea
United Resources Party politicians
Bougainvillean activists
20th-century Papua New Guinean politicians
21st-century Papua New Guinean politicians
{{PapuaNewGuinea-bio-stub