25/11/2025
ππππππππππ: A sharply worded statement was released this afternoon following the tabling of the 2026 National Budget, with critics branding it βan election survival planβ rather than a development blueprint for Papua New Guinea.
The statement, issued shortly after the Treasurer delivered the budget in Parliament, described the 2026 financial plan as βMarapeβs Budget to Stay in Power, Not the Peopleβs Budget.β
According to the critique, the budget is βcarefully designed for the 2027 National General Election,β claiming it is heavy on political spending but weak on real service delivery. The statement alleges that much of the funding will never translate into improved infrastructure or essential services such as medicine.
The 2026 Budget was further condemned as βrecklessly optimistic on revenuesβ and overly dependent on debt and foreign funding. Critics argue that the government has repeatedly failed over the past six years to release actual cash for essential services, despite large budget allocations.
This disconnect, the statement claims, has fuelled widespread distrust as communities continue to struggle without basic medical supplies.
The statement also warns that promises to pay contractors on time are unlikely to be fulfilled, saying only a βfavoured fewβ will benefit while SMEs and ordinary citizens continue to suffer.
It highlights alarming health data, noting that 70% of all medical care in PNG is now provided by churches, not the government. Citing UNAIDS statistics, the statement compares 75 HIV/AIDS deaths in 2019, when antiretroviral supplies were stable, to 3,400 deaths in 2024, including 1,700 children under 14, blaming the surge on chronic medicine shortages.
On law and order, the statement raises concerns about significant funding earmarked for Kumul 23, an elite police unit. Insiders reportedly claim the unit will receive millions of kina for advanced weapons and capability upgrades, characterising it as a political tool to suppress public dissent ahead of the 2027 election. Meanwhile, everyday police operations continue to suffer from lack of vehicles, spare tyres, and fuel.
Hospitals are also reportedly without essential medicines, reinforcing what the statement calls a pattern of βbudgeting big and delivering nothing.β
The critique compares the current situation to 2018, arguing that PNG had half the money, one-third the debt, and stronger purchasing power, with a Kina worth 22% more than today. It claims citizens were unequivocally better off then than under the current administration.
The statement concludes with a call for government to βrefocus the 2026 Budget on the peopleβ, warning that after six years of economic decline, service delivery collapse, and rising hardship, citizens deserve real solutions, not political manoeuvring.
Source: Peter OβNeill page
