PNG POLITICS UPS & DOWNS BUT SIR MEKERE DID MAKE HISTORIC CHANGES

Late Sir Mekere Morauta

One day in 1999, PNG politicians made an error. PNG MPs decided to go with a prime minister based on integrity, and brains. He played it cool, got in, instituted reforms in less than two years that killed the cash cows MPs relied on.

He made important institutions such as Bank of PNG independent.

He pursued and strengthened the laws that prevented MPs from yo-yoing (switching) from one party to another.

He privatised SOEs that were unprofitable and bleeding state coffers through subsidies.

And restored integrity and trust in the public institutions.

MPs suffered.

Now MPs have learnt their lesson. They will never support a PM candidate who has reform tendencies that makes stealing and corruption difficult. That is why you will never have an Allan Bird or a Tom Lino or a Bryan Kramer or a Kerenga Kua as PM in this parliament’s life time.

Your only chance is to vote as many candidates as you can in 2027, who are endorsed by political parties headed by Bird, or Kramer, or Lino, or Kua. This also means Bird needs a freaking party. No independent MP has formed government in PNG. Even if political parties are useless in PNG, MPs usually congregate around and individual leading or belonging to a party. Schnaubelt will not give up reins of National Alliance, and is probably winning Namatanai again to lead NA. Marape is also winning Tari-Pori and leading Pangu. The two parties Bird has always associated himself with are run by shenanigans. Bird needs a new party ASAP, to build a brand and following before 2027.