How do we recover from Covid-19?

IT has been two years since the Covid-19 was first discovered in China and its impact has been crippling the world economy.
Papua New Guinea is no exception.
I call on our MPs, the National Executive Council and Prime Minister James Marape to try and instil some confidence in the economic outlook of the country by coming up with some remedies to help the poor.
The Government could consider reducing water and electricity bills, all forms of motor vehicle registration fees, business registration fees, higher education registration fees, fuel prices, price of basic food items and air, land and sea transport fares.
It should consider reducing medical fees as well.
The Government should cease all forms of royalty payments to provincial governments and landowners, suspend provincial and district services improvement programme funds, reduce salaries of heads of government departments and politicians by 25 percent and divert those monies to rebuilding the PNG economy and supporting those affected.
I believe that through a detailed cost and benefit analysis of my proposition, a way forward can be seen.
The reopening of Porgera mine is good news, however, other projects such as Papua LNG and Wafi-Golpu should be prioritised as well.
The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic is causing Papua New Guineans to live in uncertainty.
Many are wondering if the Government is going to assist them.
Businesses have been impacted.
The private sector workforce and the unemployed are severely affected.
I call on the Government to consider these proposed ideas.

Walter Nuak,
Consultant,
Leadership and Governance,
PILAG