Former PM: Papua New Guinea republic?

Papua New Guinea newspaper The National reports:

FORMER Prime Minister Sir Julius Chan wants Papua New Guinea to become a republic but remain a member of the Commonwealth.
“In 1996 when I was prime minister, I proposed to the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) chairman Ben Micah to assess PNG’s status – whether it should become a republic,” he said.
“That was a thought given to CRC.
“But the Government changed and policies changed.
“So we were a little bit taken up by events. It never came to the CRC office.
“Unfortunately, time and the 1997 General Election, forced Micah to bring his report to a close.
“Maybe a look at Micah’s final report in 1997 which could bring more light to the subject.
“We were thinking about becoming a republic but still remained a member of the Commonwealth.”
Sir Julius said by being a republic, PNG would avoid the “intricacies of Buckingham Palace”.
But it did not stop a country’s membership in the Commonwealth.