Govt keeps shifting blame

THE Government has perfected its skills in blame shifting.
First they blamed the previous Peter O’Neill government, then it was the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic and now the Russia invasion of Ukraine is the cause of high unemployment, deteriorating public infrastructure and the country’s worse economic and state of affairs.
As the Government’s troubles mount, it keeps pointing fingers and shifting blame on remote incidents to save its face from its inadequacies.
I was particularly taken aback by the manner in which Northern Governor Gary Juffa asked the Prime Minister during question time in last Tuesday’s parliament session, who smoothly blamed the rising inflation being the direct result of the war in Eastern Europe.
Not only did I realised that it was a preplanned question or ploy prepared for the prime minister to announce the goods and services tax cuts but the Government blaming the Russians for invading Ukraine that was causing the rising price of rice and tinned fish.
Inflation was three months prior to the Russia-Ukraine conflict as per Bank of Papua New Guinea’s quarterly bulletin on the economy’s outlook.
So the irony is what does a semi- educated governor know about economics that the economists at the Central Bank do not know?
Soon there won’t be anyone or anything left for this Government to blame for its mistakes.
As the General Election looms, one thing is certain, the Pangu Pati led-Government is dedicating itself to what it does best – crafting a narrative that blames everyone else for its failures.
Brace for it.
After three years of catastrophic mismanagement, from raiding and pillaging the Central Bank to raising debt levels and inflation, this year is sure to bring even more diversion, distraction and brazen circumstance-blaming.
These aren’t new tactics, however, the Government perfected the art of blame shifting and brought it up to a whole new level.
Now whenever there is a natural or unnatural phenomena the Government will use that to easily wriggle off the hook and walk off scot-free.

David Lepi