Chimbui politician Joe Mek Teine and administrator Joe Dorpar die

Politician Mek Teine and administrator Dorpar die
By ANCILLA WRAKUALE

CHIMBU suffered a double tragedy over the Easter weekend with the deaths of Kundiawa-Gembogl MP Joe Mek Teine and senior public servant Joseph Dorpar, The National reports.
Both deaths occurred yesterday at the Port Moresby Pacific International Hospital.
Teine collapsed at 10pm last Saturday night and was rushed to the hospital where he was admitted at the intensive care unit where attempts were made to revive him from an apparent heart attack. He died at 11am yesterday at the hospital.
Dorpar, from Boko Kawa in Kerowagi, was staying at the Aku Lodge at Boroko when he suffered a stroke and was rushed to the hospital at about 4am yesterday. A relative said he was pronounced dead on arrival.
He said Dorpar came to Port Moresby last Saturday for a business trip and was to return yesterday afternoon to Madang, but died in the morning.
Dorpar was a senior public servant in Southern Highlands and was administrator of Chimbu and Madang provinces.
He is survived by his wife and six children.
Teine will be missed by the National Party of which he was parliamentary leader, by the PNG Law Reform Commission which he had served as chairman since September 2007 and by the people of Kundiawa-Gembogl, his Enduka tribe and his family.
Teine embarked this month on an extensive nationwide tour to gauge the views on sorcery with a view to drafting new legislation for it.
A relative said he had just returned from leading a delegation to Chimbu for two weeks and had been scheduled to go to Morobe on Friday but decided to stay with his family over Easter.
Teine was appointed to the post after Dr Allan Marat was elevated and appointed the minister for justice and attorney-general.
He was a lawyer by profession and a first-time politician although he had contested in many previous elections.
NCD governor and fellow lawyer Powes Parkop last night offered his condolences and sympathy to the family and relatives of the late Mek Teine.
Parkop said: “His death is a great loss to his family and relatives, to the people of Kundiawa-Gembogl and to the nation.
“In his life as a lawyer, he served our people well and, in his short term as an MP, he proved that he could also equally serve our nation as a politician.
“National Party has lost a good leader and the nation is poorer without the likes of the late MP who has had a great passion for our people and our nation.”
Teine was preparing his party policy statement to deli¬ver at a National Party meeting this Saturday.
His son Johnny will be graduating from the University of PNG this Friday.
Teine is survived by wife Dala and children Emmanuel, Julianne, Johnny, Quina and three grandchildren.