PM invited to public debate

DEPUTY Opposition Leader James Nomane is challenging Prime Minister James Marape, and the minister assisting him on treasury matters, Ian Ling-Stuckey, to have a public debate on the national economy.
“I will take them to task and demonstrate in front of the whole country that both smooth-talking treasurers are reckless in their economic management,” Nomane said in a statement.
The National yesterday tried to get comments from both Marape and Ling-Stuckey on Nomane’s challenge. Nomane added that how the economy was managed “affects everyone”.
“This is not political point-scoring, it’s about the lives of our people and the opportunities they have for a prosperous future,” he said. “A public debate would debunk the myths and the finger-pointing once and for all.”
Nomane warned that the social contract between the Government and the people was rapidly declining.
“Marape’s erratic and superficial handling of the economy does not include job growth as the primary indicator of the economy’s health, given our youth bulge and high attrition rates in education.”
He said the social contract had been “replaced with nonsensical decisions, glib promises, self-interest, and inequity through Connect PNG and selective warranting.”
“The invitation for debate will be in our national papers this week.
“Both the Prime Minister and the former Treasurer must not hide or run away,” Nomane said.
“They must come out for an open, public debate, because for the last five years, Marape and Ling-Stuckey have made pronouncements that everything is alright, that the economy is growing, demonstrating total ignorance and denial to the grim reality that is affecting Papua New Guineans daily.”