Mekere Morauta
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Sir Mekere Morauta (b. 1946–) is a Papua New Guinean political figure. He served as the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea between 1999 and 2002. He is currently the sitting member for Port Moresby North-West in the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea, and was until recently the Chairman of the National Capital District Commission.
Sir Mekere was born in 1946 in Kukipi, a coastal village east of Kerema in the Gulf Province of Papua New Guinea. Educated at local primary schools and at Kerema High and Sogeri National High, he went on to study at the University of Papua New Guinea, where he obtained a Bachelor of Economics in 1970, and as an exchange student at Flinders University in South Australia.
After graduating from university he built a distinguished career as an economist in both the public and private sectors. In 1975 he was the first Papua New Guinean to be appointed Secretary of the Department of Finance, a position which he held until 1982. Other positions he has held include Managing Director of the government's commercial bank, the Papua New Guinea Banking Corporation (1983–1992), and Governor of the Reserve Bank of Papua New Guinea (1992–1996). He entered the National Parliament in July 1997 as the member for Port Moresby North-West.
Sir Mekere was a member of the so-called "Gang of Four", a group of influential young civil service chiefs who played a leading role in holding together public administration and public policy in the formative decade or so after Papua New Guinea's independence in 1975. (The other members of the group were Charles Lepani, Sir Rabbie Namaliu and Sir Anthony Siaguru. Namaliu also later went on to become Prime Minister.)
Sir Mekere is married to Lady Roslyn Morauta, and has two sons from a previous marriage.
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| Preceded by: Bill Skate |
Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea 1999–2002 |
Succeeded by: Sir Michael Somare |
