The James Marape-led government came into office on 30^th May 2019 on the back of much public debate and criticism against the leadership and management of the government led by Peter O’Neill that he (Marape) was replacing.

It was a government Mr Marape was a dominant part of as the Minister for Finance and Leader of Government Business for nearly two terms of Parliament.

The O’Nell-led government came into office on 2^nd August 2011 after much public debate and criticism against the leadership and management of the government led by the Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare.

The Somare-led government came into office following the 2002 National Election after the government led by Sir Mekere Morauta was criticized by the Opposition and the public for various national leadership and management issues. Notable among the sticky issues against the Mekere government were the privatization of State assets such as the sale of PNG Banking Corporation to then banking minor Bank South Pacific and the devolution of Orogen Minerals Ltd to petroleum sector minnow, Oil Search Ltd.

The Sir Mekere-led government came into office following a vote of no confidence (VONC) in Parliament in July 1999 after so much public criticism against the Bill Skate-led government.

The Skate-led government took office after the 1997 national election following the heavily criticized Sandline mercenary deal by the government led by Sir Julius Chan that year.

The Sir Julius-led government assumed office in 1995 after much criticism of the government led by Paias Wingti and more particularly so over Mr Wingti’s political stunt in Parliament to resign and be re-elected 24 hours later – a move to avoid the dreaded motion of vote of no confidence. About a year later, the Supreme Court declared the actions of Mr Wingti as unconstitutional because Parliament was not allowed to await for a week before the next PM would be voted into office from among the nominees.

I’ll stop here from recounting the manner or climate in which our governments have changed either partly through a Parliamentary term via VONC or during a national election. But, you get the picture. Our governments, since the first post-independence election in 1977, have mostly lost office after much bad vibe from the Opposition in Parliament, the public and sectarian interests. Our governments have left office on a bad note, especially judging from the sentiments shared by the oppositions in those terms of parliament, the public and even from sectarian interests such as the private business sector and the influential churches in the lead up to their exit. No government has exited office on a high note and given the opportunity to highlight and celebrate achievements before leaving.

The fact that no government of Papua New Guinea has graciously left office and particularly on a high note, suggests where we are as a young democracy aspiring to get to our desired destiny. I will borrow the mantra from the Vision 2050, “to be a happy, healthy, wealthy and wise nation by 2050” as an example of the desired destiny of Papua New Guinea’s aspirations.

I am no pessimist in the potential of our people to drive our country in the right direction but I am doubtful we will become “a happy, healthy, wealthy and wise nation by 2050” because of the prevailing circumstances and the games mandated politicians and their friends in the bureaucracy continue to play

at the national leadership and governance level. The lengthy deferral Parliament sessions twice by the Marape-led government and the passage of the 2021 National Budget without the mandatory debate on the floor of Parliament is a new low that our Members of Parliament have taken our Parliament to in their angst to be national leaders worthy of our respect.

As in the traditional PNG saying, “the tail merely follows the head”, whatever those in mandated national leadership and governance positions are up to and do in Waigani is reflected in the rest of the country or the rank and file of our people everywhere.

The leaders in Waigani cannot divorce themselves from the tribal killings and destruction to property in the remote parts of some of the restive districts of the highlands region as the work of disingenuous “warlords” and mischievous young men. There is often a link to the type of leadership provided by those with the mandate to run these restive districts, yet are recluse to Waigani and the bright lights of Port Moresby and the metropolis beyond the Coral Sea.

My point here is that any government that assumes office after bad-mouthing the government it replaces must live up to its words to do better and not to fall into the same traps as its predecessor.

This calls for the incoming prime minister, ministers and all members of the government side of Parliament to ‘walk the talk’ when you are in office. You must deliver on the claims and promises you made in the lead up to the assumption of office. If you are not delivering on the claims and promises and displaying the same national leadership and management styles of the previous governments then, you are doing a disservice to our people.

Our people deserve better than the double-tongue of our mandated leaders who say one thing before they are in government and do the total opposite while in office. Our incumbent governments, not just the present one in office, but those that will come in the future must learn from the mistakes of past governments, keep their promises and attend to the claims they make before taking office as a government. It is crudely unfair on the people that our ‘new’ governments repeat the same mistakes in leadership and management of previous governments and little is improved after they assume office. The kick-back contracts and rewarding of political supporters with jobs for example, continues to remain with our governments, irrespective of the changing of the guard. Why? That is the question we need to ask and expect our mandated leaders to answer with deeds that live up to wishes and expectations of our people.