AS Papua New Guinea approaches a crucial Vote of No Confidence (VONC), Deputy Opposition Leader Hon. James Nomane is calling on Members of Parliament to carefully evaluate the country’s direction since Prime Minister James Marape took office in 2019.
The key question being posed is: “Has Papua New Guinea improved under Honourable James Marape’s leadership?” All MPs must put the country first and not limit their focus to districts and provinces.
From 2019 to 2025 the cumulative budget total of the Marape government has been K156.8 billion, comprised of K39.9 billion (25%) debt financing and K116.9 billion (75%) tax revenue. This K39.9 billion debt is the highest incurred by any government since Independence and by the end of 2025 our national debt will reach K65.0 billion. This high level of debt will reduce investment in health and education and put more pressure on loan repayments.
“We cannot see the cumulative effect of spending K156.8 billion in 6 years? Where are the notable public investments that are making life better for our people? After spending all this money, Marape has still failed to fix law and order, reduce corruption, create 1 million jobs for our youth, reduce inflation and taxes, or increase commodity exports. The country is not safe, and our public utilities, infrastructure, education and health systems are collapsing. The country’s development is regressing. We are fixated on the extractive industry and have placed our agricultural, marine and forest resources in abeyance. Because taxes fund budgets, what have we got to show for the staggering K156.8 billion in public spending since 2019?
In 2025, we cannot boast or brag about any tangible development, job creation, world-class health and education facilities, foreign direct investment (FDI) or significant public investment because we have misappropriated public funds. In 6 years, we have had no audit by the Auditor General on public spending. So how did we spend K156.8 billion and not solve any of the nation’s problems, but rather, make everything worse?
Today, what is very concerning is how the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has taken over the government’s fiscal policy. Because of an ineffective and compromised Central Bank, our people will suffer from unabated inflation, chronic foreign exchange shortfalls, and business exodus. Unemployment and the price of imported goods like rice and tinned fish, flour and cooking oil will continue to rise. Our young men and women will not have economic opportunities, poverty will increase, and crime will rise.
The government has a severe cashflow crisis symptomatic of poor cash management and budget discipline. After the first quarter of 2025, all districts and provinces have not received over 50% of DSIP or PSIP totaling K550 million (110 MPs x K5.0 million). Yet, almost half this amount, K247 million, was awarded for road contract under the Con-Act PNG scam to a PANGU-owned company using the nefarious mechanism of selective warranting.
Marape has applied selective warranting since 2019, and acts like a dictator when he picks and chooses what MP gets what funding and when. Selective warranting usurps the power of Parliament to pass Budgets and demeans MPs when they must beg for their appropriation and acquiesce to the whims of the ruling PANGU Pati. The Prime Minister forgets that all MPs are equal. In 6 years, we have seen the evolution of a tyrant, who has changed the Constitution and enacted draconian laws to suppress protest, stifle dissent, censor free speech, silence MPs and subjugate their respective mandates, to simply remain in power. PNG is a democracy. We cannot allow Marape to be a dictator under the pretext of “stability”.
The Prime Minister is indecisive, weak, and dishonest. This Prime Minister simply cannot make tough decisions to improve law and order and sack the Police Minister and replace him with a MP from the Highlands region? Why can’t he sack the Police Commissioner for the total breakdown in law and order despite the RPNGC receiving billions of Kina in the budget? We cannot guarantee the safety of our people, and this is reason enough to remove Marape.
Marape continues to be a fanciful globe-trotter putting up a charade. This kind of fakeness must be cringed upon and stopped. The Prime Minister goes to New Zealand for investment talks and yesterday the biggest New Zealand company in PNG, Fletcher Morobe, shuts down its business after 40 years. This is hypocrisy at its best.
All MPs must take ownership to fight corruption, defend the Constitution, enforce collective responsibility, promote equity in resource distribution, and restore common sense, respect, and honor to the office of the Prime Minister. Marape has been weighed in the balance since 2019 and found wanting for the total shemozzle he has created. All MPs must use their powers to remove Marape as the Prime Minister during the April VONC.