As Papua New Guinea heads towards a Vote of No Confidence (VONC), political tensions are running high. Former Prime Minister Peter O’Neill continued this week with his scathing attack on current Prime Minister James Marape, accusing him of financial mismanagement and using the national budget to advance personal political agendas. Marape has fired back, dismissing O’Neill’s claims as baseless and politically motivated. O’Neill, the Member for Ialibu-Pangia, alleges that Marape has been manipulating the budget to secure political power, at the expense of the nation’s welfare. “Finance papers show that when it comes to appropriating the Budget, James Marape’s political agendas come first, and the priority of the people comes a distant last in his one-man race for personal power,” O’Neill stated. He highlighted a "typing error" that redirected K20 million intended for Gulf Province to Enga Province, suggesting it was no accident but part of a broader pattern of budget manipulation. According to O’Neill, this is just one example of many irregularities in the Year-to-Date Warrants and Appropriations. He accused Marape of funding his own department and cronies at the expense of crucial sectors like health, education, and law enforcement. “While funding of medicines YTD is less than 30%, Marape has funded himself 106% of approved PM & NEC 2024 Budget,” he charged. O’Neill went further, criticizing the Connect PNG initiative, a key infrastructure program, as a “slush bucket” used to funnel funds without proper oversight. He listed numerous unfunded projects, including critical roads and highways, which he claims have been neglected under Marape’s watch. In contrast, sectors crucial to public welfare, such as education, health, and law enforcement, have been severely underfunded, according to O’Neill. He detailed how the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Department of Health, and even the nation’s universities have received only a fraction of their budgeted funds. “Our students and teachers are grossly unfunded YTD by K21.5m,” he noted, highlighting the dire state of the nation’s education system. Marape however in a statement, has vehemently denied these allegations, accusing O’Neill of spreading falsehoods. He pointed out that the national budget is managed by a committee of public officials, not at the Prime Minister’s whim. “I want to assure the country that we are spending money according to the budget." "Everyone should know by now that Peter O’Neill’s assertions are always badly skewed because of his deep political biases,” Marape countered. He emphasized that the Budget Management Committee, which includes senior government officials, meets weekly to ensure that expenditures align with available revenue. “It is not a money plan that the Prime Minister controls at his whim. But a committee of public officials as well as ministers who sit and go through every week,” Marape explained, adding that the government is operating within the budget despite economic challenges and natural disasters. Marape also addressed the issue of emergency spending, noting that the Treasurer has the constitutional mandate to make necessary adjustments. “We are not reckless; we work within what is in the budget,” he assured, dismissing O’Neill’s criticisms as politically motivated attempts to regain power.