Bart Philemon

Bartholomew "Bart" Philemon (born 16 April 1945, in a Butibam village near Lae ) is a Papua New Guinean politician.

He was educated in a Lutheran missionary primary school in Lae. He received a grant from the Lutheran Church to attend St. Peter's Lutheran College in Brisbane Queensland. After a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Papua New Guinea, he worked in the aviation industry, holding the position of assistant general manager of Air Niugini (the country's national airline) from 1973 to 1980. From 1982 to 1986, he served as chairman of the National Airlines Commission. earning him "wide respect" for his economic reforms. Nonetheless, he struggled to "control the profligate tendencies of other ministers", and his attempts to do so resulted in him being sacked in 2006.

He founded his own New Generation Party and, alongside Mekere Morauta, became a leading figure of the Opposition. Somare won the 2007 general election, retaining power, and Philemon remained deputy Leader of the Opposition.

In the 2012 general election, Bart Philemon lost his seat in Parliament to his niece Loujaya Toni.