Papua New Guinea’s economic outlook has sparked a heated debate, with Prime Minister James Marape announcing positive developments, only to be met with fierce criticism from Deputy Opposition Leader James Nomane, who paints a much darker picture. On August 16th, Prime Minister Marape confidently declared in a statement that Papua New Guinea’s economy is on a positive trajectory. He cited stronger growth, low inflation, and an easing of foreign exchange (FX) shortages as evidence of the government’s success. “The PNG economy is on a positive trajectory, with inflation persistently remaining below the historical average of 5.5 percent,” Marape stated, highlighting that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projects a GDP growth of 4.6 percent for 2024. He emphasized that these improvements are the result of tough government policy decisions, predicting a bright future for the nation. However, Deputy Opposition Leader James Nomane responded in a statement a week later with a blistering critique, calling Marape’s optimism a “slap in the face” to struggling Papua New Guineans. “The government has miserably failed to achieve growth, high employment, and price stability. After 5 years, the numbers do not lie. The PNG economy is in the worst shape in history,” Nomane countered. He highlighted three key indicators: a devalued currency, a soaring debt of over K66 billion, and inflation that he claims is higher than what Marape admits due to the government’s money printing. While Marape boasted about the reduction in FX wait times, Nomane pointed out that the kina’s value has plummeted, eroding purchasing power. “K100 does not buy the same amount of food it used to buy in 2019,” Nomane said, arguing that the devaluation is worsening inflation and driving away foreign investors. He also criticized the Marape government’s borrowing spree, accusing it of using the funds to further its own interests rather than to benefit the nation. “Marape has (allegedly) borrowed over K34 billion in 5 years—more than all other Prime Ministers combined over 44 years—yet we see no tangible improvements,” Nomane remarked. Nomane did not stop there, further accusing Marape of promoting “pork-barrel politics” and manipulating the budget for personal gain, while public institutions, like the Central Bank, are being weakened. “The Marape government has no solution for the economy. It can only borrow and demand the Central Bank to print money,” he said, warning that this would only worsen the economic crisis. In a final call to action, Nomane urged all Members of Parliament to put the country first and end what he described as Marape’s “tyrannical regime.” He called for a hard reset to save Papua New Guinea from the pain of alleged “half-baked solutions, misguided morals, and weak leadership.”