James Gau

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James Gau Gelak (born 19 September 1957) is a Papua New Guinean politician who served in the National Parliament from 2010 to 2017, representing Rai Coast Open. He started as a member of the National Alliance Party (2010–2012) and later joined the Triumph Heritage Empowerment Party (2012–2017). He was also Governor of Madang Province from January 2011 until the 2012 election.

Gau is the son of Gau Yabile, a former member of the Madang Provincial Assembly. He attended Male Primary School, Tusbab High School and Lae Technical College, and worked as a civil engineering technical officer for the Department of Works before entering politics.

He was elected to Parliament in May 2010 in a by-election after the death of Niuro Toko Sapia. He supported the Ramu nickel mine project, saying it must go ahead and criticizing opponents. In January 2011 he became Governor of Madang to finish the term of Arnold Amet, who had become Attorney-General. He supported Peter O’Neill’s August 2011 ouster of Michael Somare and called the new government a “divine intervention.”

In January 2012 he switched to the Triumph Heritage Empowerment Party and became the party’s deputy leader for the Momase Region. He was re-elected in 2012 as a THERP candidate but did not seek another term as governor. Gau moved to the crossbenches after O’Neill sacked party leader Don Polye in early 2014, and joined the opposition in November 2014. In February 2015 he was named Shadow Minister for Works and Transport by Opposition Leader Polye. He also served as chairman of the Inter-Government Relations Referral Committee, deputy chairman of the Communications Referral Committee, and a member of the Pensions and Retirement Benefits Permanent Committee. He lost his seat to Peter Sapia, the son of his predecessor, in the 2017 election.