"The people want change, hear their call," was the bold statement made by Member for Ialibu-Pangia and former prime minister, Peter O'Neill, at press conference this afternoon at the Crown Hotel, Port Moresby city. Mr. O'Neill said in 2019, he thought as Prime Minister he was steering the government he led in the right direction for the betterment of Papua New Guineans. "Whether it was keyboard warriors or whether it was politics from within my own Government or whether it was just time for change, the people of PNG told me clearly, they wanted me to step aside and hand over to another Prime Minister. It was not an easy decision to resign, not the least because the Party I lead, the Peoples National Congress (PNC) had fairly won 29 seats in the 2017 National General Elections. The PNC MPs would undoubtedly also be impacted by my decision to resign. But I did it anyway knowing the MPs I stood with in PNC also understood that we could only govern if the people we represented wanted us to. I and PNC had lost the social license to operate, and it was clear the people of PNG wanted me to stand down," Mr. O'Neill said. Mr. O'Neill with support from the Opposition and the alternate Prime Minister Nominee Sir Peter Ipatas said that it is clear times have changed and after six years, the current Prime Minister, James Marape, needs to hear the cries of the people of Papua New Guinea. "Our country and democracy are in dire straits and the people are convinced that under the current PM we are not going to repair. Time for new PM to lead at least until the 2027 election," Mr. O'Neill said. He added that the Prime Minister has much more to contribute to the country but for now he has lost the confidence of the people and staying in the top job is doing more harm than good. "I am sure this is not his intention, but it is the undeniable case," he said. Mr. O'Neill said there is no shame in resigning, it takes strength and courage to know when to step down and be humbled. "The winds of change are upon us. Time to listen to the People and act. Not listening to the winds of change will only make them stronger," he said.