When James Marape became Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister in 2019, he rode a wave of hope with his electrifying slogan: "Take Back PNG." Promising to reclaim the nation’s resources from "greedy elites" and foreign exploiters, he vowed to transform PNG into "the richest black Christian nation" and a "food basket for Asia." Six years later, that vision resembles less a roadmap to prosperity and more a bottle of political snake oil—lavishly packaged promises that dissolve upon contact with PNG’s harsh realities.
1. The Alluring Elixir: "Take Back PNG”
Marape’s initial pitch was politically masterful. He positioned himself as the antidote to Peter O’Neill’s corruption-tainted era, inviting probes into scandals like the UBS loan while pledging resource sovereignty. His folksy Facebook broadcasts promised accessibility, and rhetoric like "a Huli doesn’t surrender in a fight" cast him as a warrior for the people. The vision tapped into the Constitution’s founding ideals of self-reliance and equitable resource use, framing "Take Back PNG" as a moral awakening.
2. The Bitter Aftertaste: Unfulfilled Promises
Beneath the slogans, Marape’s remedies have failed to cure PNG’s ailments. Despite renegotiating mining deals like Porgera, PNG’s economy remains in crisis—inflation soared, debt ballooned to K27 billion, and Marape’s plea for Chinese bailouts starkly contradicted his "self-reliance" mantra. The 2024 budget controversy, where opposition MPs accused him of "weaponizing" funds, exposed patronage politics, not sovereignty. Democratic erosion accelerated as Marape extended the grace period for no-confidence motions, shielding himself from accountability. His government’s unprecedented Facebook shutdown in 2025, justified under the draconian Counter-Terrorism Act, silenced dissent during his court testimony on illegal payments—a move mirrored in a proposed state-controlled media policy, aligning with authoritarian playbooks rather than democratic renewal. Violence and instability defined his tenure: the 2022 elections descended into chaos with 30 deaths and widespread fraud allegations, while service delivery collapsed amid no-confidence threats and parliamentary suspensions.
3. The Distiller’s Toolkit: Distraction and Repression
Marape’s salesmanship relies on symbolic victories masking systemic failures. The Motu-Koita electorate announcement offered token representation while dodging electoral reform. His attacks on media as "fake news" deflected blame for governance failures. When cornered, Marape resorts to division.
4. The Patient’s Condition: A Nation Still Waiting
PNG’s crises have only worsened under Marape’s "cure." Youth disillusionment deepened when the Facebook shutdown alienated 1.6 million users reliant on the platform for news and livelihoods. Institutional rot festered as the overwhelmed Electoral Commission faced adding six new electorates without resolving chronic issues like voter roll inaccuracies or violence. Regionally, Pacific democracies watched uneasily as PNG backslid, with Marape echoing Fiji’s media repression and Solomon Islands’ instability.
Conclusion: The Empty Bottle
James Marape is not solely to blame for PNG’s woes—decades of corruption, weak institutions, and resource curses predate him. Yet his genius lies in repackaging these pathologies as solutions. "Take Back PNG" is less a policy agenda than a performance of sovereignty, distracting from democratic decay and elite entrenchment. True leadership would prioritize electoral integrity by overhauling the Electoral Commission before adding seats, safeguard press freedom by scrapping the media regulation bill, and embrace accountability by welcoming no-confidence votes instead of dodging them. Until then, Marape’s elixir remains snake oil—a potent blend of hope and hubris that leaves PNG sicker than before. The nation deserves more than placebo politics.
— A student of Pacific democracies, watching the fever dream break.