Monday 15th December, 2025
Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has paid an emotional tribute to the late Minister for Works and Highways, Hon. Solan Mirisim, describing him as a humble leader whose life’s work was dedicated to connecting Papua New Guinea’s most isolated communities to opportunity, dignity and national development.
Speaking at Hon. Mirisim’s funeral service in Port Moresby, the Prime Minister reflected on their shared upbringing in remote and rugged parts of the country, saying those early experiences shaped the late minister’s deep understanding of the challenges faced by rural communities.
“Solan and I came from similar beginnings, from the rugged mountainous parts of our country where life is hard, distances are long, and opportunity never comes easily,” Prime Minister Marape said.
“Those early years taught us humility, vigilance and a deep understanding of what it means to live far from government and services.”
The Prime Minister said the two men first worked together in Parliament in 2012, forming a bond that later translated into a shared commitment to rural connectivity when the Marape Government was formed in 2019.
“When I formed government, Solan was one of the first colleagues who stood with me,” he said.
“He believed deeply in the philosophy of leaving no place and no one behind.”
Prime Minister Marape noted that Hon. Mirisim never viewed his role as Minister for Works and Highways as a position of prestige, but as a responsibility to serve communities that had remained disconnected for generations.
One of the late minister’s defining achievements, he said, was the opening of the Kiunga–Tabubil–Telefomin Road, a project long considered impossible due to extreme terrain and logistical challenges.
“That road was more than infrastructure,” Prime Minister Marape said. “It was dignity. It was inclusion. It was a declaration that no part of Papua New Guinea, no matter how remote, must be left behind.”
He said the road brought hope to communities in Western Province and Telefomin that had for decades depended largely on air transport and had limited access to basic services.
The Prime Minister said Hon. Mirisim’s vision extended beyond a single road corridor and encompassed many districts that remain isolated nearly 50 years after Independence.
He reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to completing remaining road links, including connections from Telefomin to Oksapmin and Kopiago, and across the Sepik to Bewani.
“Beyond these, places such as Kabwum, Karamui, Simbai, Bosavi, Pomio and Kandrian remain among the last frontiers still waiting to be fully connected,” he said.
“These communities matter. Their people matter. And in honor of the late Hon. Solan Mirisim, we recommit ourselves to reaching them.”
Prime Minister Marape said these projects align with the Government’s Connect PNG agenda, emphasizing that roads are critical lifelines that enable access to health care, education, markets and economic participation.
“These are not just roads,” he said. “They are lifelines that bring dignity, opportunity and national unity.”
Beyond his political career, the Prime Minister reflected on Hon. Mirisim’s early life as a small-scale entrepreneur, operating trade stores and guest houses, and supporting missionary aviation services to help keep remote communities connected. He said these experiences shaped the late minister’s strong work ethic and service-oriented mindset.
In a solemn appeal, Prime Minister Marape urged leaders and public servants to prioritize their health, revealing that Hon. Mirisim often placed the medical needs of others ahead of his own.
“You can only work when you are alive,” he said. “Take time for medical checks. Look after your health so you can continue to serve your family, your people and your country.”
Concluding his tribute, the Prime Minister said that while Hon. Solan Mirisim had passed on, his vision and passion for connecting the unconnected would continue to guide the nation.
“He believed in reaching those left on the margins of our country,” Prime Minister Marape said. “His thinking, his passion and his purpose remain with us.”
Hon. Solan Mirisim is remembered as a tireless advocate for rural infrastructure, inclusive development and national unity, whose contribution to Papua New Guinea’s connectivity is expected to endure for generations.