Economy, Growing the Economy, Education, Health, Infrastructure and, Law and Justice are amongst the key interventions the National Government is making to salvage PNG from sinking.
“Our Marape-Rosso Government is consistently working to address immediate challenges people of PNG are facing and long-term development issues in the country.” Prime Minister James Marape stated in a statement.
PM Marape reiterated the six focus areas of his government – Economy, Growing the Economy, Education, Health, Infrastructure, and Law & Justice – are to fix these issues.
He said in the six focus areas of his government, work has well and truly begun and continuing, and Papua New Guineans must be aware of them and value the importance of government stability and continuity to see these programmers to their full completion.
PM Marape also called on the people to pay attention on the work already happening and not allow themselves to be swayed by his political opponents who only want to wrestle power away from his government but have no better plans to rescue the country.
The Prime Minister gave the assurance and made the special call on Sunday as he departed from Papua New Guinea for the Pacific Islands Forum summit in Tonga this week.
“We are working consistent with what we set out to do in 2019 and what we recommitted to do when we went to the national elections. People can judge us fully in 2027 and if they are not satisfied, they can get us out of office. I want to assure our people that we have made some progress consistent with our aim,” he said.
Economy: Government has begun reversing the economic recession that was inherited from the O’Neill Government by restructuring the fiscal consolidation strategy that looks forward all the way to 2034 to a debt-free Papua New Guinea. Part of this 13-year plan also means PNG will have a balanced budget by 2027. This is the first time since 1975 any government has planned to consistently retire the country’s debts. In this area, the Marape-Rosso Government is doing well. In the last three years since 2021, PNG has dropped its deficit by K1 billion every year and looks set to have the balanced budget by 2027 – only three years away. This means with the surpluses from the budget, the extra money can go toward paying off the debts, and PNG will remove all its debts by 2034 in line with this 13-year strategy.
ECONOMIC INTERVENTIONS
In the area of government interventions for citizens to cope with economic situations, these are the interventions implemented by the Marape-Rosso Government:
• The lifting of the tax threshold from K7,500 to K20,000, meaning people earning a K20,000 per year salary and below are no longer paying taxes. For a long time, only those earning K7,500 per annum and below have been exempted from tax.
• Removing Goods & Services Tax from key household items as a countermeasure against the impact of inflation.
• The tuition fee free policy of the Marape-Rosso Government to pay all PNG students fees from primary to secondary schools.
• Scholarship programmers – HECAS and TESAS – for tertiary students to help families put more into their disposable income.
• HELP loan scheme for tertiary students to assist struggling parents.
• The focus on engaging Papua New Guineans in owning and operating their own small businesses (SMEs) as a counter- measure against rising living costs. Government has set money aside in the banks for people to borrow low-interest loans to grow an SME. This strategy is two-fold in purpose – it helps families increase their buying power and contributes to growing the economy of the country.
Growing the Economy
In the area of growing the size of the economy of the country, Government is still very focused on reaching its aim of a K200 billion economy. The Marape-Rosso Government is making good progress. In 2019 when PM Marape took over the office from Peter O’Neill, the size of the economy was K79 billion. This year 2024 (five years later), the economy is at K113 billion, and it is forecast that by the end of this year, the PNG economy will grow to K124 billion. This means an expansion of K45 billion in five years.
PM Marape said, “Our focus on import replacement in food and others; our focus on ramping up export, especially in the agriculture sector; our focus on downstream in fisheries and forestry; and resource projects – these are all conversations geared toward expanding the economic base, employing more Papua New Guineans, shifting reliance from the extractive sector to the nonattractive sector. These are all to grow our economy.
“In the extractive sector, Porgera is our success story. We have secured 51 percent for PNG and 49 percent to our partners. We are working hard to make sure that we get such outcomes for Wafi-Golpu, Pasca LNG, P’nyang LNG, and others.”
Education
Work continues into making sure that no child is left behind. Panguled Government has successfully brought back over 100,000 young people through FODE and ‘second chance learning’ to complete secondary schooling, with an increase in higher learning in the country because of this influx.
Government is restructuring the education system to move away from the failed 1991 structure to the education model of 1-year early childhood learning, 6 years’ primary school and 6 years secondary. Schools of Excellence are continuing while the STEM programmer/scholarships also add to lifting the quality of our students coming out of universities both in the country and overseas.
In the Higher education sector, the Marape-Rosso Government is focused on expanding all of the country’s tertiary institutions. In the last five years, funding has been dispensed to universities and colleges to upgrade school infrastructure. Prime Minister Marape wants to see the current space capacity of 10,000 students increase to 30,000 by the end of this decade.
In terms of academic standards, Government is also working to lift education standard to a standard similar to the Australian one.
Health
Marape-Rosso Government is continuing its work on this front. Government just reopened the country’s cancer facility in Lae. Work is also continuing on the opening of specialist heart and kidney facilities in Port Moresby. Prime Minister Marape is adamant that Papua New Guineans must have the choice to seek specialist healthcare in the country instead of being forced to go overseas for these treatments.
Likewise, work is continuing through the Provincial Health authorities for the construction of new provincial hospitals in each province. Government has already given K50 million to each of these PHAs to upgrade their hospitals, including this year. Wabag hospital, Angau hospital and Wewak hospitals have been rehabilitated and opened.
Infrastructure
Government has a clear policy on building the country’s roads and bridges, connecting them to ports and airports under the Connect PNG Programme. This will continue into the next 20 years to make sure PNG is well connected.
Work on roads so far:
• Sealed Kiunga – Telefomin highway, Western Province and Sandaun Province
• Construction of Kimbe – Kokopo highway, West New Britain and East New Britain provinces
• Construction of 4-land Tokua – Kokopo road, East New Britain Province
• Resealing Hagen town road, Western Highlands Province
• Resealing Mendi – Tari road, Southern Highlands and Hela provinces
• Upgrading Vanimo town road, Sandaun Province
• Completed upgrading 4-lane 9 Mile – Laloki section of Hiritano Highway, Central Province
• Completed upgrading 4-lane 9 Mile – PAU road, Central Province
• Upgrading to 4-lane Laloki – Brown River section of Hiritano Highway, Central Province
• Upgrading Efoe – Kerema section of Hiritano Highway, Gulf Province
• Rehabilitation of Magi Highway, Central Province
• Upgrade of Lae – Menyamya Road, Morobe Province
• Construction of new Aseki-Kaintiba-Kerema highway, Morobe and Gulf provinces
• Construction of new Kikori – Kagua road, Gulf and Southern Highlands provinces
• Rehabilitation of Madang – Lae road, Madang and Morobe provinces
• Construction of new road from Momote airport to west side of Manus Island, Manus Province
• Continuation of Buka ring road, AROB
• Upgrading of Kokopau – Buin road, AROB
• Extension of Buliminski highway, New Ireland Province
• More funding for Karamui road; Maramuni – Sepik road, Enga and ESP
• Completion and continuing to construct more bridges in Connect PNG Programme.
• Highlands Highway Rehabilitation: Marape-led government spent over K2 billion in rehabilitation of Highlands Highway, including construction of two-lane bridges. This is besides paying off a K4 billion worth of debt left behind by the O’Neill Government.
Ports Rehabilitation
• In the rehabilitation of the country’s ports, work is going on for the Port Moresby, Lae, Kimbe, Popondetta, Kavieng, and Rabaul ports.
Airport and Airport Terminals Rehabilitation
• Completed are Nadzab Tomodachi International Airport terminal in partnership with the Japanese Government; Manus; Kavieng; Vanimo; Mendi; and Tari.
• Work is ongoing for Wapanamanda, Madang and Alotau terminals. Work is also going into the extension of Tokua airport to take in bigger aircraft.
• Commencing soon will be work on Buka, Wewak and Daru airports.
In Power Supply
• Government has spent over K1 billion worth of investment in power lines. Upgrade of a 132 kVA line from Mt Hagen to Yonki, as well as the Japanese loan-funded programme being undertaken from Yonki to Lae. Government has spent K110 million in 132 kVA grid to Edevu Power Plant uplifting the 54mw power that was commissioned for power into Port Moresby. In the powerline that runs from Hides to Hagen to Lae, Government is investing in fibre optics and continued rollout on internet broadband accessibility.
Law & Justice Sector
Major work is going into rehabilitating the Law & Justice sector of Papua New Guinea. PM Marape is focused on addressing the deteriorating law & order situation of the country in a holistic manner.
• Government is restructuring the court system by introducing an appeals court between the National and Supreme courts for a more effective dispensation of justice.
• Government, with the help of Australia, is also recruiting more judges, most of whom will come from the outside.
• Government has spent over K400 million on the construction of the new National and Supreme Court houses in Waigani.
• The magisterial services are now being better funded and resourced.
• Independent Commission Against Corruption is up and running. ICAC was discussed under eight prime ministers but never implemented until Marape made it happen.
• Efforts are going into strengthening police manpower by bringing police strength to 10,000 within 10 years. As such, police recruitments have begun since last year 2023.
• Work is also going into rehabilitating prisons, not just infrastructure-wise (more holding blocks), but also with programmes in vocational and academic training so prisoners are rehabilitated and properly skilled to return to society after serving their prison terms.
“These only some of the work we are doing in our focus areas. People can talk and talk but not everyone can deliver. It’s only a government that has leaders with guts and will and determination that put the country’s interest ahead of self-interest who can make such holistic changes happen,” said Prime Minister Marape.