- The laws are being arbitrarily applied as the Police force is increasingly marching to the beat of Marape. How can citizens trust the disciplined forces when Marape chooses to place himself above the law.
- Shoot to kill orders have been issued against Papua New Guineans in Enga as they struggle to remain united after Marape shut down their lifeblood, the Porgera Mine.
The mine after five years remains unproductive and embroiled in violence. Has Marape’s thirst for power created another Bougainville conflict?
Marape decided to cut off the biggest social and economic source for Enga and then orders “shoot to kill” when the Engan people cannot contain their frustration. The impacted people have been asked to trust the process and endure short term pain but after five years they are fed up. - In Western Province, Marape has saddled the Ok Tedi Mine with apparently K600 million in loans. It is impossible to know because the last report was for 2022.
It’s a common theme across this Marape led government – results are down; debt is up, and transparency and reporting has stopped. Just four years ago the mine was almost debt free.
Money that should have found its way into reinvestment for Ok Tedi or paid out in dividends to the people of Western Province has instead been paid to the wasteful government to spend on lavish overseas jaunts and crazy investment ideas and now OTML must pay interest on loans.
The people of Western Province are desperate and angry for a better deal. In 2012, a government Marape was Finance Minister of, handed the mine back to the people of Western Province.
Now OTML swims in debt and the people of Western Province are told they must sell their forests to questionable foreigners instead of being able to enjoy the fruits of their own mine.
The Governor and Marape must stop and think about their actions.
- The Dirio Power Station owners have been made to invest in a power project that is not viable for PNG Power to meet the obligations of, and now find themselves in bed with four British Virgin Island companies.
The landowners didn’t ask for this type of nonsense investment. PNG Power didn’t ask for this either and the electricity buying public of Port Moresby are paying the price of yet another Marape scheme. If no one else is benefiting then why did Marape push it so hard?
- Our public debt has exploded in five years from K32 billion to K60 billion. Debt doubling would be acceptable if our health care; education and infrastructure had also doubled in quality and quantity, but instead we have doubled our debt and halved our quality of life.
It is November and the Mid-Year Economic and Financial Outlook (MYEFO) was due in July/August. Treasury Department completed the MYEFO in July but for who knows what reason, it has NOT been released. In place of a credible and expertly prepared MYEFO we we have the economic spin doctor Marape giving us verbal diarrhea that all is well.
Last month, the IMF announced they would be lending PNG another US$265 million.
The IMF must have the information about our economy, but it is being deliberately kept from the public who pay the taxes to pay back the IMF. It is unlawful and deceptive to keep the MYEFO from the public.
- Cost of living is crippling. The economic masters of Marape and IMF have simply got the economic direction of our country wrong when debt is doubling but our people are increasingly plunged into poverty.
O’NEILL: MARAPE’S INCOMPETENCE HAS FAILED PAPUA NEW GUINEANS
Media Statement 4th November 2024 Approved for Release
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Papua New Guinea is a land of incredible capacity with more than enough blessings to be economically independent. Our society is thousands of years old with tradition and custom capable of transforming to support modern living.
We are a proud and strong people, but we collectively cringe when we see how our Pacific Islands, Australian, Asian and New Zealand neighbours are leaping ahead while we suffer more and more every day.
Marape is not making fundamental decisions the right way. Big choices are being made without wisdom and regard for our people and this is leading to a slippage in quality of life; our reputation; our ability to meet our loan obligations; our land is being taken from us and we increasingly live in a violent and corrupt society.
The facts do not lie as to how we compare to our neighbours.
A Papua New Guinean must work nearly two hours for 1kg rice.
A Fijian only needs work 40 minutes for 1kg of rice and their power to cook the rice is 40% cheaper.
If Marape denies he is corrupt, then he must then be incompetent for plunging our country into this sad state.
Our country is going to the dogs, and we must unite and stand up for our country before one man destroys us all.
PO.
