How did he do it? So what was the secret? How, as explained in the first part of this blog, did Sir Mekere Morauta bring the PNG and its economy back from the brink of the abyss in 1999, and implement vital reforms? First, Morauta himself was an exceptional and politically-astute economist. Three...
From boom to bust Following independence, the PNG economy fared relatively well. From 1980 to 1994 it grew at an average of 4% a year. It was a bumpy ride though, with peaks and troughs in growth, notably the closure of the Panguna mine in 1989 and the start of the Kutubu oil project in 1992. By...
It has been my privilege to know personally, work closely with, and occasionally disagree with, the Right Honourable Sir Mekere Morauta, whose death the nation mourns. He was a close friend, my talaigu, and a colleague in the public service and Parliament over 54 years. Mekere and I were in the...
This acceptance speech was delivered by the Hon Sir Mekere Morauta MP on 14 July 1999 on the floor of Parliament upon his election as Prime Minister. Sir Mekere was PNG’s Prime Minister from 1999 to 2002. He died on 19 December 2020. We reproduce this speech in memory of Sir Mekere and on...
I will not use the time we have together today to dwell on the sadness of what we have lost and...
In 2015, final-year economics students at the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) were surveyed...
The Papua New Guinean Supreme Court ruled this week that PNG’s Parliament will return on 14...
While Papua New Guinea’s private security industry is booming, efforts to regulate it have failed...
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea’s capital, has a reputation for crime and violence. The Economist...
Three court cases will decide when parliament will next meet, and perhaps who is the next prime...
