Former PM John Howard is too divisive to be the nation's next Governor General, writes Susie O'Brien FORMER prime minister John Howard does not deserve to be the next governor-general of Australia. He is too political, too divisive and too close to the current Opposition. This is critical, because it's very likely the current Opposition will be the next government. A governor-general needs to be a uniting force bringing people together, not someone bitterly disliked by half the population.