By CYRIL GARE
I returned after a week in the village attending to a death in the family and had to catch up with the happenings. Among the news was the successful conclusion of PANGU Pati’s 28th National Convention at the Hilton hotel and the onset for the 2027 election as it approaches its 60th birthday next year. Well done, congratulations.
I reflect not only on Pati’s role in giving birth to a nation but also on the life it gave me personally during the nascent stages of my professional journey. PANGU is not merely a political party, it is an institution of human enterprise, a living force that has shaped generations and continues to define the destiny of Papua New Guinea. For two consecutive years at the University of Papua New Guinea, the K80 fortnightly allowance, book allowances, and meals provided by PANGU were more than incentives. They were oxygen to an uncertain future, sustenance to a young soul searching for meaning. Without them, I might not be the man I am today. For this, I thank PANGU Pati. I also acknowledge the “father” and East Sepik Regional MP, the late Grand Chief Sir Michael Thomas Somare, who picked me from the streets of Wewak and shaped me into a man, a talent among the 10 million this country so desperately needs.
There were four others like me sponsored by PANGU during our time at UPNG. We owe it to the Pati, and I hope many more will follow under its sponsorship. Later, I served the Pati as East Sepik Provincial Branch Secretary and later Provincial President under two parliamentary leaders: Sir Rabbie Namaliu and Andrew Kumbakor. The Hilton occasion could have been a fitting moment to share my life story with PANGU. Yet even from afar, I felt the pulse of the Party’s 28th National Convention. It is now 6:05 pm. The sun sets behind smoke-stained hills along Dikagari Road, Tokarara, as I type on my Android, sipping black coffee from my wife Lisa’s market table, cigarette in hand, catching up on news and reminiscing. PANGU’s successful National Convention has reinvigorated its onset for the 2027 election, only 11 months away.
Say what you will, but PANGU is real. It was the beginning, it reigns today, and it is the future. For me, it is the umbilical cord of my life. I owe my freedom, liberty, and country. PANGU is PNG. PNG is home. Bai mi go we? In June 1982, PANGU won 51 of 109 seats, a record still standing. In 2022, when I contested Angoram Open as an Independent and lost, PANGU won 39 of 118 seats and formed Government with a coalition. For 2027, PANGU has resolved to secure 60 seats. The cutting edge is the Connect PNG flagship road program. Nearly 5,000 kilometers of the planned 20,000 have been sealed, valued at K7 billion of the K20 billion project spanning 20 years. Tears of rural mothers were not in vain when roads finally reached their villages. Mock the Prime Minister for sharing these moments, but God sees the heart, results will prove if prayers were heard. Second, the 55–45 per cent equity shareholding policy is now locked in. New Porgera’s 51–49 split is already paying millions in dividends, and the verdict will be proven in time.
The bottom line is increased funding to subnational governments. Do not score the National Government alone, judge your Governors and MPs too. Billions have been allocated. Four fingers point back, so accountability lies with your MPs. Have they delivered? Chuave has new roads. North Fly has a new terminal. East Sepik has projects worth a billion kina, including the long-awaited K100 million Passam–Angoram highway sealing, a blessing for Grand Chief Sir Michael’s home district. The first-of-its-kind arch bridge at Hawain, valued at K20 million, is under construction, delighting many in both East and West Sepik provinces. The new Boram airport terminal and runway extension will soon allow Airbus 737 services, a gift to the people of Somare.
Regardless of seating in the House, every electorate has received its fair share. It is you, the voter, who will deliver the final verdict. The convention reaffirmed the Government’s long-term economic growth agenda, setting ambitious targets: • K200 billion by 2030 • K300 billion by 2035 • K500 billion by 2045
It also committed to the K11 billion national education infrastructure program, designed to improve learning environments through 2035. More young Papua New Guineans are now studying overseas under the STEM program of the Marape–Rosso Government, a source of pride for parents. Free education continues from primary to secondary, a relief for millions. HECAS, TESAS, and HELP remain lifelines despite critics. Under Prime Minister James Marape, international diplomacy has reached unprecedented levels, placing PNG firmly on the world stage. Sports tourism, including the NRL franchising of the Chiefs, may one day see our sons and daughters playing world-class rugby, earning hundreds of thousands in a diaspora once thought impossible.
Medical tourism is emerging, with breakthroughs in kidney transplant and heart surgeries performed by PNG’s own doctors, achievements made possible through political will and state-backed funding. Unless clouded by self-pity, one can not deny this Government has delivered. As the Prime Minister himself concedes: “More work remains to be done.” Development is a growth process, not a Facebook glitch. Say what you will. Exercise your right. Vote wisely. But remember, PANGU is PNG, and PNG is our home. Bai yumi go we? Your vote counts. Blame no one but yourself as a voter. Do not repeat the mistakes of the past 10 elections. In this 12th national election, I urge you to find the snake’s head and shoot it with the silver bullet. Snake is corruption. Snake is curse out of the Pandora’s box. Do not allow the serpent to crawl into the House and multiply its hatchlings (snakelets), or we will be finished into oblivion.
As PANGU rightly resolved: it is the next generation that matters, not the next election. PANGU’s story is not just about politics. It is about life, liberty, and the future of Papua New Guinea. It is about roads that reach forgotten villages, schools that educate the next generation, hospitals that save lives, and policies that empower families. It is about a Party that has stood the test of time, weathered storms, and emerged stronger. It is about a people who continue to believe in the promise of independence, the strength of unity, and the hope of progress. For me, PANGU is not just history. It is personal. It is the umbilical cord of my life. And as the nation prepares for the 2027 election, I say again: find the snake and shoot it on the head. You have the silver bullet. Use it wisely or we are done. Ends.