Roger Hau'ofa mourned in Papua New Guinea [1]
Tuesday, March 7, 2017 - 15:05. Updated on Tuesday, March 7, 2017 - 15:06.
Papua New Guineans are mourning the passing of popular radio presenter and media personality, Roger Hau'ofa. The 73-year-old, originally from Tonga, passed away over the weekend due to kidney failure. Roger is the brother of a Tongan writer, the late 'Epeli Hau'ofa.
Roger worked as a broadcaster and journalist in PNG for over 50 years. He was a talk back show host for PNG's FM100 radio channel, his voice becoming familiar throughout PNG. Roger's show engaged with the PNG public, discussing social and political issues.
Since his passing, tributes have flowed in. His colleagues held a special talkback show for him on PNG's FM100. A former colleague, Patrick Patu, said on the show "We both worked as broadcasters for 35 years and to see him go, breaks my heart...the man is so knowledgeble, he has so much information up his sleeve and he doesn't refer to anything."
An anti-corruption NGO, Transparency International PNG, released a media statement praising Roger for his contributions.
It stated “Roger Hau'ofa will live on in the hearts and minds of many who have benefited from his efforts to provide wide audiences to people working to reduce corruption in PNG.”
"His voice has been a part of the lives of three generations of Papua New Guineans and his kind personality reached out to millions of people."