Bougainville politicians have been praising the contribution of Haku constituency MP, Xaviour Kareku, who passed away earlier this month.
He is the fourth member of the 40 seat autonomous Papua New Guinea region's parliament to die since the election in September 2020.
Photo: manganganath/123RF
Elected for the first time in that poll, he was only 44, but the Speaker, Simon Pentanu spoke of his contribution to healthy debates.
New Dawn FM reported Mr Pentanu saying he was a member of the many parliamentary committees that traveled around Bougainville to talk to the people on issues.
President Ishmael Toroama said it's sad to lose another young and vibrant leader who could have provided the leadership Bougainville needs.
Other MPs called on the people of Bougainville to understand a member's role and not to pressure them unnecessarily, especially new MPs.
The other deceased MPs include two former Health Ministers, Raymond Masono and Chary Napto.
Mr Napto and his wife and child disappeared while travelling to Nissan Island by banana boat.