I made this statement to the press this afternoon. Would appreciate you sharing.
In 2019, I thought as Prime Minister, that I was steering the Government I led in the right direction for the betterment of Papua New Guineans.
Whether it was keyboard warriors or whether it was politics from within my own
Government or whether it was just time for a change, the people of PNG told me clearly, they wanted me to step aside and hand over to another Prime Minister.
It was not an easy to decision to resign not the least because the Party I lead; the Peoples National Congress (PNC) had fairly won 29 seats in the 2017 National General Elections. The PNC MPs would undoubtedly also be impacted by my decision to resign. But I did it anyway knowing the MPs I stood with in PNC also understood that we could only govern if the people we represented wanted us to. I and PNC had lost the social licence to operate, and it was clear the people of PNG wanted me to stand down.
At the time, allegations of corruption against me were loud and drowning out my ability to represent my country properly and professionally. I understood and had faith in the Justice system that if I stood down without the power and influence that comes with the top job, it would allow investigations to be undertaken fairly. I was confident my record of integrity would be re-established by being tested in a court of law and I could see that this was impossible to achieve if I remained Prime Minister.
Being the Prime Minister is a privileged position and I loved the role. A lot of people around me had a vested interest in me hanging on to the role of PM and naturally, applied a lot of pressure for me not to resign. It is a very public role and a decision to step down would inevitably affect my own ego and self-confidence. I took counsel from people around me including former Prime Ministers, Sir Michael Somare and Sir Julius Chan. After weighing everything up, I resigned.
Resigning on the day in parliament was straightforward. The decision was made, and I felt an ease that I was doing the right thing. It was no longer for me to have an opinion about whether James Marape was ready for the role as he was well supported by both MPs and the public.
It is clear times have changed and after six years, the current Prime Minister, Honourable James Marape, a proud representative of Tari-Pori, Hela Province and Papua New Guinea needs to hear and heed the cries of our people.
Our country and democracy are in dire straits and the people are convinced that under the current Prime Minister we are not going to repair. Time for a new Prime Minister to lead at least until the 2027 election.
Prime Minister Marape has much more to contribute to our country but for now he has lost the confidence of our people and staying in the top job is doing more harm than good. I am sure this is not his intention, but it is the undeniable case.
There is no shame in resigning - the opposite. It takes strength and courage to know when to step down and be humbled.
Pangu Pati as a foundational political party also needs to show leadership as a collective.
Pangu formed government with coalition partners. These partners and Pangu Pati are being severely damaged at the party level and as individual MPs for hanging on to power when the people have clearly said “inap nau”. Pangu’s reputation matters just like PNC’s mattered in 2019. Pangu should not persist to cling on to power when it is clear it has lost the mandate of the people.
The winds of change are upon us. Time to listen to the people and act. Not listening to the winds of change will only make them stronger.
PO.
No comments:
Post a Comment