In light of loyalty pledged by fellow 48 Pangu MPs and other coalition party members, Prime Minister James Marape last night said that he was confident of defeating the motion of Vote-of-No-Confidence next Thursday.
PM Marape stated in a statement that: “With the support of Pangu MPs and our coalition partners, I am confident that we will maintain government and continue to reconstruct, rehabilitate, and redevelop our economy as we have been doing since 2019.”
“All 48 MPs, including myself, pledged loyalty to Pangu to honor the Section 63 invitation given by the Head of State to form Government after the 2022 National General Election (NGE),” said Prime Minister Marape.
He further stated, “We will defend our Section 63 invitation to form Government, along with our coalition partners who we met with last night, in next Thursday’s VONC and this week will be focused on preparation for the vote.”
PM Marape emphasized a key distinction between this and previous VONC scenarios, explaining that, unlike past situations where MPs remained in a camp, the coalition partners have opted for an open and flexible approach.
He further said: “The coalition partners resolved last night, on my advice, that MPs be free to move around rather than stay locked in a camp,” said PM Marape.
MP Marape continued: “We have an open-door and open-camp policy, not be flying out of town to a remote location as some have speculated.”
“Therefore, we will have an open week of retreat to review how far we’ve come as a government and prepare for the 50th anniversary of independence in 2025 and beyond,” said PM Marape.
PM Marape also addressed the nation’s ongoing challenges and the need for continued accountability and governance, particularly ahead of the 2027 National General Election.
PM Marape continued: “In 2019, I took Government, the country was in recession, followed by COVID-19, global wars that exacerbated inflation, and others resulted my government have unfinished business to complete.”
However, despite of trying times, Marape-Rosso Government has assisted to fund tax relief, school fees, training of police, betterment of judicial services, PM Marape stated.
He added, ensuring that no parts of the country are left behind through distribution of infrastructure funds, district development funds, provincial development funds, SME development, agriculture freight and price support, greater focus on agriculture and livestock, and the renewable sector.
PM Marape further highlighted the long-term nature of the government’s initiatives: “What we have started will not bear fruit immediately.”
PM Marape explained: “You do not go and chop down a tree, clear bushes, plant a garden to harvest right away, it takes time to grow.”
“I want to ensure that in 2027, we see evidence of growth in our economy, and turnaround in many of our service sectors such as justice, health, education, and others,” PM Marape stated.
Prime Minister Marape called on the people of Papua New Guinea to continue holding the government accountable and offered assurances that the current administration is prepared to continue its work.
“If we go through and come out of this successfully defending our government next Thursday, give us until 2027 to govern the country, and you can then pass judgment on us.” said Marape.
PM Marape challenged MPS: “If you feel that there’s a better team out there than us, by all means, support them,
He added in a statement: “Our records will speak for themselves as we have already released a five-year scorecard of our achievements.”
Therefore, Prime Minister Marape urged all MPs to focus on the country’s shared vision: “I told my Pangu MPs today that our destination is a developed PNG and asked them for their focus on this throughout their districts, provinces, and ministries.”
“We have given enough resources to everyone, including the Opposition, work better, and together, we can make our country even better,” PM Marape stated.
However, the MPs reaffirmed their support for Prime Minister Marape following today’s Parliament session, which saw the house adjourned until next Thursday for the VONC proceedings.