PM: Vote along party lines

By REBECCA KUKU
PAPUA New Guineans must seriously consider voting along party lines for General Election 2022 (GE22), Prime Minister James Marape says.
“You have no choice. Vote along party lines for a stable government to guarantee strong socio-economic growths,” he said.
“I will not tell you who to vote for, or what party to vote for.
“That is your democratic right, but I want you to know, that all voters will have a say through the ballot papers on which party will form the next Government and who will become the prime minister.
“Your five minutes at the polls will decide the next five years for this country. The choice is in your hands. But if you believe that Pangu should remain as the Government, or if you believe in my leadership, then vote for Pangu candidates.
“The same goes for the People’s National Congress, the PNG Party and the National Alliance, if you think the next prime minister should be Peter O’Neill or Belden Namah.
“And when you cast your ballots, ask yourself if the candidate you are voting for will bring change and prosperity for the people and country. Do I trust them to look after my money? Do I trust them to take care of my wife and children’s health? Will he remember me in the next five years?
“Ask yourselves those questions, go through the party’s policies and make a wise choice.”
Papua New Guineas will go to the polls from Monday to July 22 to elect their leaders for the 118-seat Parliament.

Pangu leaves Juffa’s seat alone

THE Pangu Pati is leaving the Northern regional seat held by Gary Juffa alone because he is a “like-minded leader”, says party leader James Marape.
Marape said during a rally in Popondetta that the party had not fielded a candidate for the seat because Juffa also believed in the “take back PNG” dream.
But the party is fielding candidates for the three open seats in Northern, with incumbent Henry Jons Amuli hoping to retain his Sohe seat, Isiah Mamuare for Ijivitari and Thomas Barama Somboba vying for the Popondetta seat.
Marape said the party hoped to do its best for the country although it would not solve all the problems.
“I’m not going to tell you that when you vote Pangu, we will solve all your problems or address all your issues. But I can promise you that we will do our best for you and the country,” he said.
“Our theme is to go rural. We want to connect PNG, build roads into rural areas where more than 80 per cent of our people live.
“We want to upgrade the airstrips in remote areas, and reintroduce flights with lower fees for passengers and freight so that people can transport and sell their food crops.”
Marape promised an equal distribution of government services.

K12 billion borrowed to fix debts of past regimes: Marape

PRIME Minister James Marape says his Pangu Pati-led Government had to borrow K12 billion to settle outstanding loans taken out by past governments to keep the country’s economy afloat.
“The previous governments had borrowed with high interest rates and short repayment times,” he said.
“We did the best we could, taking loans from credible sources, like the Asian Development Bank and the Japanese government at a lower interest rate.
“In fact, Japan gave us the loan at 0.01 interest rate and a repayment term of over 20 years.
“The previous government led by the People’s National Congress party took out loans at a high interest rate and repayment term of just three years. So when we took office in 2019, we had to repay, so we took those loans to settle their debts.”
Marape told a party rally in Northern that those were the valid reasons why his Government had to borrow, just to keep the economy afloat.
He said when the Pangu Pati took office, the country was already in economic recession.
“There was also an outbreak of the Covid-19, economies worldwide were affected as many countries went into lockdowns,” he said.
“But we did the best we could for the people and country.”