PM MARAPE HAS BEST CHANCE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

By RT. HON. PAIAS WINGTI, MP – GOVERNOR WESTERN HIGHLANDS PROVINCE | 18 December 2020. On December 13, I told Prime Minister James Marape that as a matter of principle and in keeping with a commitment I have with the People’s Progress Party and Sir Julius Chan going back 43 years, I would vote with them in the Opposition. Today, I wish to state that following the political hurricane of the last three weeks, the Prime Minister has a chance to prevent such turmoil and to secure PNG’s social-economic future. He must make good choices for his ministry and hard decisions to halt the disturbing and dangerous trend developing in politics today. That trend is when leaders do not respect their personal and professional integrity and self-respect when they say one thing and do another when they conveniently forget their own words and signatures. These are simple matters of honor, of upholding the respect and dignity of yourself, the office you represent, and the mandate you serve. But here we are, so many senior vibrant leaders who, to a man, declared that Prime Minister James Marape was running the economy to the ground. In a mere fortnight, we are back as if nothing happened. I will only say this. The Prime Minister now has an excellent opportunity to make decisions in the absolute interest of the country. He has an opportunity to pick the best of the crop in Parliament from both sides of the floor and from all parties without fear or favor as he has done before. He should know by now the good apples from the bad ones. For the best interest of the country, he must do that now. I will work with Prime Minister James Marape and the Pangu Government because too much political and instability will destroy the country and because I have worked hard all my adult life to serve the best interest of PNG. Pangu is a foundation party, I was a member of it and was deputy leader once. I am comfortable working with Pangu under its leader, Hon. James Marape. But my call is that the Prime Minister has a chance today to prevent future political hurricanes by making the right choices for his Cabinet and by listening to and acting on some of the voices of reason from inside and outside of Parliament that has persisted throughout and despite the political storm. RT. HON. PAIAS WINGTI, MP GOVERNOR WESTERN HIGHLANDS PROVINCE ————————————————————-