O’Neill dismisses Ling-Stuckey’s budget deficit claims

FORMER Prime Minister Peter O’Neill, pictured, has dismissed Treasurer Ian Ling-Stuckey’s claims that there was a deficit of K4.6 billion in this year’s budget as “nonsense.”
O’Neill said instead of criticising and condemning the decisions of the former government, which Prime Minister James Marape, Patrick Pruaitch, Charles Abel and others had been part of over the past eight years, Ling-Stuckey needed to be honest with data and articulate his plans for the future and stop playing politics.
“This Treasurer is using made-up figures for no other reason than to play politics,” he said.
“Charles Abel was Treasurer and James Marape was Finance Minister for the 2019 budget, so is he saying James Marape and Charles Abel were wrong?
“The budget deficit this year was projected at 1.5 per cent as agreed by Marape and Abel, not the 5.8 per cent claimed by this new Treasurer. “He calls Treasurer Abel’s 100-day plan after the last election as a fake plan.
“The only fakeness I see is the new Treasurer’s false figures.
“He should go back and check with these leaders on the actual figures instead of making false claims.
O’Neill said the only thing Ling-Stuckey had it right in his statement was that Papua New Guineans were strong and resilient and despite being affected by the drop in commodity prices several years ago, the government had managed the budget and delivered services to the people.
He called on Ling-Stuckey to stop his grand standing and instead work earnestly with other Members of Parliament to address the country’s challenges.
O’Neill said business confidence was at an all-time low after months of political instability and indecision.
“The Papua LNG Project is now on hold and nothing will happen until there is movement on P’nyang; businesses are not spending money as they see their bottom lines eroding and workers are being laid off,” he said.
“So we have to get on top of the damage that has been caused in recent months, and regardless of what has happened in politics, we must work together and get back on top of the economy like we were six months ago.”