Playing the Game: Life and Politics in Papua New Guinea

An insightful and candid memoir from one of Papua New Guinea's founding fathers. Born on a remote island to a migrant Chinese father and an indigenous mother, Julius Chan overcame poverty, discrimination and family tragedy to become one of Papua New Guinea's longest-serving and most influential politicians.

His 50-year career, including two terms as Prime Minister, spans a crucial period of the country's history, particularly its coming of age from an Australian colony to a leading democratic nation in the South Pacific. Playing the Game is Chan's own account of the role he played during these decades of political, economic and social change.

It also explores the vexed issues of increasing corruption, government failure, and the unprecedented exploitation of PNG's precious natural resources. This compelling memoir of Julius Chan's private and political lives offers a rare insight into the building of a nation and the extraordinary challenges facing Papua New Guinea.