Papua New Guinea Premier Preempts Confidence Vote

Dogged by accusations of corruption, Papua New Guinea’s prime minister announced his resignation Wednesday, days before a parliamentary vote that was expected to unseat him.

The announcement by William Skate came hours after this Pacific island nation established diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a move that infuriated China. Beijing considers Taiwan--an island that split from China amid civil war in 1949--a renegade province and opposes any bid to grant it recognition.

Skate, 46, who has been accused of graft and of links to street gangs known as “rascals,” told reporters in Port Moresby, the capital, that he was resigning to help restore political stability and business confidence. He said he would hand in his resignation today.

The prime minister said the move was unrelated to this week’s decision to recognize Taiwan.

Opponents of Skate had planned to move a no-confidence motion in parliament, set to resume Tuesday, and observers said Skate was certain to lose.

Government spokesman Chris Hawkins said Skate’s deputy, Treasurer Iairo Lasaro, would be acting prime minister until parliament reconvened.

Papua New Guinea politics are based on ancient tribal allegiances that can shift quickly. No-confidence motions were so common that the parliament passed laws that banned them for the first 18 months of a prime minister’s rule, in the interest of stability.

The leader of the People’s Democratic Movement, or PDM, which recently deserted the government to join the opposition, said he has enough support to become the next premier.

Mekere Morauta of the PDM said that, if he becomes prime minister, he will review the government’s decision to recognize Taiwan.

Skate, formerly Port Moresby’s governor, became prime minister in 1997 after campaigning against corruption.

He was embarrassed in November 1997 after the Australian Broadcasting Corp. made public videotapes in which he appeared to authorize a bribe, boasted of ordering a murder and bragged that he is the “godfather” of rascal gangs.

Although the nation is rich in copper, gold and other commodities, Papua New Guinea’s economy has declined during Skate’s rule. Natural disasters are partly to blame, but discontent has grown as the value of the currency, the kina, has fallen, and inflation is running at an annual rate of more than 20%.