Page 6 - IB June 2019

We Say

Making of the world’s richest black Christian nation

Changing of the guard in PNG’s political leadership

FOR someone who is still in the honey-
moon period, James Marape is saying
the right things. His words match his
actions, so far.
Marape has said that he has accepted
office as independent Papua New Guin-
ea’s 8th Prime Minister with humility.
The first morning he woke as Prime
Minister, Marape posted on his official
Facebook page:
“It is a privilege to be the chief servant
of this nation of a thousand tribes. I
don’t promise I will be answer to all of
our nation’s problems, but I do promise
I will give my very best effort to make
a difference!”
And while acknowledging the Su-
preme Being for his accession to the
high office, he does not appear to think
for a moment that he is God’s gift, the
only gift that is, to Papua New Guinea.
He knows that he is not the only
repository, or the sole proprietor of
wisdom and foresight, which is why
forming a think-tank of advisers com-
prising local Papua New Guineans who
are experts in their own fields, was one
of his first acts following his landslide
election as PM on the floor of the na-
tional parliament on 30 May.
In creating a pool of advisers, Marape
is in esteemed company. That’s what the
venerable leader of Malaysia Dr Ma-
hatir Mohamad did when he returned as
Prime Minister of Malaysia in May last
year. Far from a political novice, Mahatir Photo: Facebook
had served earlier as Prime Minister for
22 years until his retirement in 2003.
91 years old when he returned as PM, the man invited leading gas, oil, nickel, timber, tuna and fish, agriculture, tourism and
technocrats and experts from his own country to form his pool culture, biomedicine and research, water, fresh unpolluted air and
of advisers. more in a nation of under 8 million people in a big land mass.”
Our publisher has rightly observed that Marape is a man with For too long, our biggest landmass on
a mission. this part of the Pacific Ocean has been
Indeed he has a plan, honed from years of serving in the shad- Break the barely performing, shackled by the so-
ow of his former leader and the man he succeeded, Peter O’Neill. resource curse called resource curse.
Today, Marape is determined to “take PNG back”, borrowing the For too long unscrupulous investors
war cry from fellow member of parliament, have been allowed to run roughshod over
and Governor of Oro province, Gary Juffa. PNG’s rich natural resources in petroleum, minerals, forestry,
Taking He is one-minded about his mission to
PNG back fishery and commodities, raping the land of its riches, and for
make his country the richest black Chris- their peoples, a just return.
tian nation of the world. For too long, criminals and rascals have been allowed to roam
And to this we say, why not! free in the cities and towns of Papua New Guinea, forcing women
Prime Minister Marape himself gave the reasons as to why and girls as well as men and boys to be prisoners in their own
he firmly believes that PNG is barely touching the surface of its homes, driving terror into the hearts and minds of their own
true potential. people.
“We have all the natural endowments; gold, copper, iron, coal, For way too long, the citizens of Papua New Guinea had to

6 Islands Business, June 2019