Product Code Database
John Dademo Waiko (8 August 1945 – 17 November 2024) was a Papua New Guinean historian, anthropologist, playwright and politician.
Waiko was born in the village of Tabara in the Oro Province.Waiko, John D., A Short History of Papua New Guinea, 1993, . Biographical information on back cover. "Man Without Pigs", Documentary Educational Resources
/ref>
He was also the author of a play, The Unexpected Hawk, published in 1971. Bibliography of John Waiko in G. W. Trompf, PaybackThe Logic of Retribution in Melanesian Religions, 1994, , p.524 "Nationalism and Papua New Guinea Writing", Australian Quarterly, 1971
In 1992, Waiko was elected to Parliament, beginning his national political career. He was Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2001 to 2002, before losing his seat in Parliament in the June 2002 general election. In the 2007 general election, he stood unsuccessfully for election at the Sohe Open constituency, representing the new Papua New Guinea Party. PNG Electoral Commission, 2007
Waiko was controversially involved with a prominent Malaysian businessman in the logging industry in Papua New Guinea, Philip Lee. After Lee had "fraudulently obtained three Papua New Guinea passports and was found guilty of violating PNG immigration laws", Foreign Affairs Minister John Pundari ordered his deportation. Pundari was sacked by Prime Minister Mekere Morauta, and replaced by Waiko, who suspended and reviewed the deportation order. When it was revealed in February 2002 that Waiko and Lee "held shares in the same company", and Waiko admitted they were "business partners", PNG Forest Watch expressed its concern over a "clear conflict of interest" and urged Waiko to resign. Papua New Guinea's Trade Union Congress also called for Waiko to be sacked.Ron Crocombe, Asia in the Pacific Islands: Replacing the West, Suva: IPS Publications, 2007, , p.183 "Forest pressure move" , Post Courier, 19 February 2002 "PNG TUC wants minister sacked", Radio Australia, 13 February 2002 "PNG illegal passports scam", Radio Australia, 30 August 2002
Waiko was the subject of two biographical films. He was the subject of, starred in, and was associate producer of, the 1990 film Man Without Pigs, by Chris Owen. "Man Without Pigs (1990)", New York Times In 2007, he starred in Minister Without Money, a short film by Sandra Welkerling, focused on his political career, set against the wider context of Papua New Guinean politics. Australian Film Commission, Australian government website
|
|
