Wednesday 15 May 2024
Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has clarified government’s stance amidst speculation that there is division within the government regarding the National Gold Corporation Bill.
According to Prime Minister Marape, these claims, primarily voiced by the Opposition and other groups and individuals, do not reflect the true unity and purpose of the current administration.
“The government is not split on the need to process gold in Papua New Guinea just like other resources like agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and petroleum,” he stated on the eve of a crucial stakeholder consultation scheduled for today. (15 May).
Addressing the controversy surrounding the current bill, the Prime Minister acknowledged the significant variety of opinions expressed.
“However, due to conflicting views on the present bill that is on parliament notice, government feels that those views need to be heard.
“Hence, we have public consultations coming up, so we can ascertain from public and concerned stakeholders what exactly are their areas of concern,” he explained.
Since taking office in 2019 under the banner of the Pangu Party, the administration has prioritised the national control over Papua New Guinea’s resources, aiming for equitable benefits among landowners, provincial governments, the national government, and investors.
“When Pangu took office in 2019, our major mantra has been about taking majority control of our resources without hurting our investors and ensuring that we account for every resource produced in our land so landowners, provincial governments, national governments, and investors benefit fairly,” Prime Minister Marape emphasised.
The Prime Minister also reiterated his commitment to the enhancement of the nation’s resource sectors.
“We will not divert from our goal to downstream process all our natural resources to export finished products so we can value add, create for jobs and also account for resources produced,” he said.
Prime Minister Marape will be participating in the upcoming public consultation hosted by the Minister for Mining, Hon. Muguwa Dilu.
“I will be participating in the public consultation hosted by the Mining Minister to indicate to all that it is a key priority but we will do it with no intention to harm the gold business at present in PNG but to add value to the business,” he concluded.