[1] He was a member of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea from 2002 until his death, representing the electorate of Middle Fly Open.
[5][6] He has been critical of logging projects that he viewed as providing little benefit to landowners and of the Ok Tedi mine.
However, after further turmoil, he was reappointed to the ministry the same day as Minister for Labour and Industrial Relations.
[1][10][11] In August 2004, he supported Brian Pulayasi's successful challenge for the PAP leadership, ousting Moses Maladina.
[13] Having crossed to the newly-governing People's National Congress after Somare's ouster in 2011, he was re-elected for the PNC at the 2012 election.