Prime Minister (PM) James Marape has appealed to Papua New Guineans to observe National Repentance Day today and practice the deep Christian characteristic of forgiveness and tolerance to each other. In his speech on National Repentance Day after arriving in country on Friday from Vanuatu after attending the Melanesian Spearhead Group Meeting, PM Marape said the country is going through some challenging times and it is such times that people seek forgiveness and ask for guidance from God as Christians to overcome these challenges, as the country prepares to mark the 48th Independences in a couple of weeks’ time. “As we face 48 years of independence, I want to appeal to all of us, if we have stepped out a little bit, it’s time we look within and say sorry to God and say sorry to our family and say sorry to our community,” said the PM. He urged the people to take the day seriously especially when the country is facing issues in terms of law and order, natural disasters, economic issues, social issues and developmental issues. “We have many challenges, but we can do well if we can come in simple, humble character as a Christian should be. Forgive each other and say sorry to God for the mistakes we did.” Marape also urged people who are unable to attend church services today to mark National Repentance Day, to mark the day in their own way either at home or with their families. National Repentance Day is observed on August 26th every year and the public holiday is celebrated through prayer ceremonies across the country. The day is simply meant to be an informal day of prayer to ask the God for forgiveness for the wrongs happening in Papua New Guinea.