From The Prime Minister of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, Hon James Marape,

To my people,

James Marape is not a business man PM neither do I have interest in business. I have never owned a company the entire 18 years I have been in elected office. You ask Ombudsman and BSP and Kina bank and they will confirm that my accounts is never a million Kina accounts and I live off my salary. I am happy with that and don’t lose sleep over that.

For those who worked with me as my District CEOs or District Treasurers, Province PAs or Departmental heads like Education Secretaries, Finance Secretaries or Chief Secretaries know that I don’t cut corners and make illegal directions for personal gains. All my Ministers today know that I don’t direct them for personal interest or go straight to their departmental heads for personal interest and I direct for work for the country. You ask all of them.

When I was education minister in 2008 to 2011, I delivered second change education for school leavers making Fode pathway a real program to address school dropouts, I introduced STEM and SOE for best students, I introduced qualifications based pay structure for teachers, I introduced UBE at year 8, education was the first national function to be transferred to Bougainville and technical schools became my focus including the introduction of Polytechnic colleges and IPTC in Pom Technical College.

When I was in finance I introduced local contractor priorities and ceiling of national’s only contractors to 30m, I stopped Paraka payments, I clean out finance of illegal payments, I introduced the new procurement law, I shorten the close of account and reopening of account at the shorten period, I introduced electronic cash transfer at public pay offices, plus other PMFA reforms we did to stop corruption including putting whistle blowing markers in Finance Department.

As Minister from 2008 to 2018 those are few things I have done and at every step along the way , James Marape have never balance business and public service work , I dedicated myself full time to public service as a politician.

To other politicians and your cronies spinning fake and fabrications, I encourage you all, submit them to Police and ICAC and Ombudsman. Certainly these three independent constitutional offices will not comprise themselves if the allegations stake up with truths.

I want to assure all who have faith in my leadership throughout the length and breath of PNG, I am a public servant doing my best under tough times for our country. My love for PNG has not died by increased so I am still at work with all rubbishes and muds thrown at me.

Last 4 years we took government when our country was in recession ( Central Bank data indicates a -0.3% recession in 2018), we took government in 2019, Covid 19 in 2020, first VONC in 2020, PO court cases challenging my leadership ran from 2019 to 2023( three different matters), the 2022 national elections, the 2023 court cases by former PM PO, and now the 2024 VONC. Certainly life has been busy for me trying to fix the country and maintaining government. If one thing is certain, those challenges makes me stronger and tougher as fire refines and sharpen a knife.

Until my time is up , I will still do my best even in the middle of dirts from those who want to be economic Ministers and PM.

I want to assure all my people, dirts will fly , but i know in my heart I have not let you all and our country down.

I am doing my best for the country and my team of leaders that started the journey with me in 2019 Laguna and 2020 Loloata remains committed to make PNG better.