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PRIME Minister Sir Michael Somare
yesterday announced that PNG was on track for economic independence.
Sir Michael said in a statement yesterday that a government has returned
to office for the first time with no overspending in an election year.
He said the people of Papua New Guinea should be proud that his
Government had not squandered public funds as was practised in previous
election years.
“For the third consecutive year, we would be announcing another surplus
in our budget. This is yet another milestone in our history as a
developing nation,” Sir Michael said.
He said that the successful economic performance of his Government
should clear claims by his rivals prior to the elections of corruption
and mismanagement levelled at his Government.
“The results of the elections were indicative of why the people of Papua
New Guinea chose to return the majority members of both the National
Alliance Party and its coalition parties.
“We have demonstrated that we have the interest of Papua New Guinea at
heart and would continue to make legislative changes and policies that
would ensure that PNG reaches a level of economic independence over the
next five years that we have been talking about but had not been able to
achieve,” Sir Michael said.
He said the people of Papua New Guinea would become active participants
in the continued growth and development of the economy.
Sir Michael said he believed his Government was in a real position to
achieve this aim through its initiative of various development
programmes and social reforms that were continuing.
“We have set the foundations over the last five years. We did the
unimaginable.
“We turned the economy around while never borrowing a single toea. These
next five years would be spent on building on these solid foundations
that we had already set,” Sir Michael said.
 
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