Posted By Staff Reporter
By David Lepi Whilst the answer is the obvious let us give the benefit of the doubt. If time is the factor as what Marape is complaining that his 3 years in office wasn't enough for him to prove himself better than the preceding Peter O'Neill government, then Sir Mekere Morauta could perhaps teach Marape how it is done to change an economy for the better in just 2 years. In Morauta's case the situation was much worse than from what Marape took over in 2019. Morauta brought the PNG economy back from the brink of the abyss in 1999 through implementing vital reforms. How was he better than Marape? Well Morauta himself was an exceptional and politically-astute economist. Three decades of experience—as one of PNG’s first economists, as PNG’s first Finance Secretary, as the first PNGean managing director of PNGBC, as governor of the central bank, as a private businessmen, as an opposition MP, and as a Minister—meant he was uniquely placed to understand the economic problems facing PNG, diagnose their underlying causes, and decide how to fix them.
And within a month he had already passed a Supplementary Budget, and established a team of capable and credible senior officials (notably Chief Secretary Robert Igara, Finance and Treasury Secretary Koiari Tarata, and central bank governor Wilson Kamit). The reform program that he developed was prioritised and had purpose. Time and effort were not wasted on boasting and backslapping, but used productively and efficiently to progress reforms. Both Morauta and O'Neill were accomplished Papua New Guineans and successful businessmen prior to politics. Like O'Neill, Morauta had the gravitas and international standing necessary to mobilise international support. These are some qualities that put Morauta and O'Neill ahead of Marape. Marape lacks both the political and business acumen and doesn't have credibility at the international fora. Above all O'Neill knew strong systems would be critical in tangible service delivery. He introduced the District Authority Act in 2013 that provided the legal basis for the widely known District Services Improvement Program- DSIP. O’Neill’s District Authorities enabled decentralise governance arrangements to improve the capacity of districts to deliver better public services. From then on districts across the country have been receiving enormous increases in devolved development funds for capital projects in consecutive budgets. To date Marape has got nothing to show for the 3 years in power. Many political observers say his 'Take Back PNG' is less than a hogwash rhetoric that brought the economy a giant leap backward in high inflation and unemployment and unprecedented level of national debt in the history of the country. Next : Marape Told Not To Make Decisions While In Caretaker Role Note: Let Your Views be heard : Send all your Political Commentaries to us through our email : pngfacts@gmail.com Share this
1 Comment
Aku Uvire
20/7/2022 03:36:39 am
James do not deserve a second chance. He is a disaster to the nation. With K54 billion national debt and a failed 2022 elections, he deserve a bullet to the head.
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