James Marape

The report is based on the constitutional directive of the Governor-General to review the Provincial and Local Level Governments Elections.

The review was established in 2018 by the O’Neil-led government directing the CLRC to review the Organic Law and propose legislative reforms aimed at improving the way elections are run in the country.

The review is to ensure that the elections are free and fair where the people are given absolute guarantee of freedom to choose leaders through voting.

Western Governor, Taboi Awi Yoto, and North Fly MP, James Donald, announced in a joint statement their endorsement of the Prime Minister stance to stop negotiations and focus on other resource projects currently in the pipeline.

According to the statement the leaders said PNG was entitled to a fair deal. And after the PNG LNG Project, they expectied ExxonMobil and project partner, Oil Search, to display commercial fairness and reasonableness.

The leaders said the companies chose to discard these core virtues.

Prime Minister James Marape said PNG has enough gas resources to develop five LNG trains which can then have a massive impact on the economy.

“Certainly, five trains of LNG will help me achieve my dream that we will go past K200bn economy in 10 years,” he said at the Back to Business Breakfast on January 30^th.

“That is achievable and within sight. We are working to ensure that the discussion on a fifth train is secured at terms that is not harmful to investors but also at terms consistent with the laws of this land.”

Their approach would include placing people in strategic places and amending and creating laws and policies to enable the public services mechanism to flow freely.

At the recent launch of the 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index Report by Transparency International PNG, Prime Minister James Marape stressed on the importance of the Independent Commission Against Corruption and the Whistle Blowers Act.

Prime Minister James Marape clarified this misconception in a public statement on Monday.

He said H-E-L-P is a facility made available by the government for students who need help to pay tuition fees this year and onwards.

The HECAS and AES students will continue to receive this government incentive, while HELP is intended for the many students who remain outside of this formal government assistance.

Also, there is no limit to the repayment time, nor interest for the HELP assistance.

He recently announced this in front of thousands of Lutheran faithful at the 32nd Evangelical Lutheran Church of PNG Synod at Boana in Nawaeb, Morobe.

He urged the synod to continue working on the concept of the Lutheran university and not to stop.

Marape said the Government will be working on the university this year and hopefully by 2025, when the nation celebrates 50 years of Independence, the Lutheran university will be established.

He also supported a call by Morobe Governor Ginson Saonu for the establishment of a Lutheran elementary teachers college.

This is to commence in the second semester of 2020.

The objective of the Higher Education Loan Program is to assist as many students as possible to gain entry to universities and colleges offering high quality education, and helping students to succeed.

This concept will provide support for multiple years of study as long as students continue to meet the required academic/non-academic criteria.

As of May 2020, the Tertiary Education Study Assistance Scheme or TESAS will be ceased and the HELP financing will commence.

The PM stated that to control the living environment in Port Moresby and to reduce lawlessness in the nation’s capital, the government will ensure everyone has NID to travel to main urban centres.

“Those who want to come into Port Moresby must have NID to travel into Port Moresby and those who live in Port Moresby must have NID to live in Port Moresby,” stressed Marape.

Prime Minister Marape said the urbanisation minister and lands minister will be working towards converting settlements into proper suburbs in Port Moresby.

The Prime Minister announced that PNG’s economy in the next decade will triple, and invited companies to partake in that predicted growth.

Marape mentioned that the government was looking forward to creating a substantial reform for the sector to better the transparency between the government and the sector, and the reform will provide a fair and equal opportunity for the government and the investors to have a say.

“We are looking to restructure our own departments and hopefully, our Petroleum Minister and Mining Minister on the work that they are doing,” the PM said.

He said this when addressing attendees at the Pacific Adventist University’s 35^th graduation at its Koiari Park Campus outside Port Moresby on Sunday (Dec 1).

“Next year onward, we will have the students’ loan program,” said the PM.

“No more will you pay (tertiary) school fees.

“As long as you have NID (national identification) and residency as a Papua New Guinean, you will go and get money for your school fees.”