PM: Don’t be lazy, start moving

By DALE LUMA
PAPUA New Guineans, including unemployed graduates, must not be lazy and try to get into business utilising Government funds parked with commercial banks, Prime Minister James Marape says.
Institute of National Affairs (INA) executive director Paul Barker had said there were between three and four million eligible workers but only 500,000 available jobs in the country.
PNG Commerce and Industry president Ian Tarutia supported this remark, stating that the unemployment figures reflect the state of the economy which was in distress.
Marape mirrored this sentiment this yesterday before leaving for China.
“Don’t be lazy out there,” he said.
“Allow those who are working to work, but the rest of you, including graduates, you already own land in your districts and homes.
“Go back to your land.
“Papua New Guineans, you will go lazy yourself and miss out on the opportunity if you not able to work out there.”
Marape said the Government did not believe in handouts.
“We are putting money into BSP and, very soon, State Enterprises Minister Duma will tidy up some NDB (National Development Bank) issues so we rollout NDB (loans) also.
“So Papua New Guineans who want to do business, get out there, go to BSP, NDB and we are partnering savings and loans societies so that everyday Papua New Guineans may have easy access to credit facilities.”
Marape said the Government was looking for investors to come in on a major scale to be in partnership with local business in the downstreaming sector.
“Those of you who own log or forest patches, you could be in logging yourself,” he said.
“We can sell them to the downstream processors we are looking for.
“Those of you who own coffee, you could be in the coffee space yourself, so we sell to the downstream processor we are looking for that.”