Prime Minister James Marape has commended Treasurer Ian Ling-Stuckey for his comprehensive Ministerial Statement to Parliament today on the ‘2020 Final Budget Outcomes (FBO) and 2021 Mid-Year Fiscal and Economic Outlook (MYEFO) and the Way Forward’. He said Treasurer Ling-Stuckey’s presentation updated Papua New Guinea on the state of the economy during the ongoing war against COVID-19. PM Marape also commended the Budget Management Committee (BMC) spearheaded by Treasury and Finance for keeping “MV PNG afloat in rough seas”. “If they (BMC) hadn’t done this, we stood every possibility of sinking, but the Treasurer and his team stood strong,” he said. “There were so many lies and deceit spun by the Opposition that we relied on overseas advisors. “At the end of the day, Treasurer, Government and Cabinet made the call on key policy instruments.” PM Marape said there could be no more-important policy instruments than his Government’s Budgets of 2019, 2020 and 2021. “I, as Prime Minister and his colleague in Cabinet, commend the Treasurer as well as the Finance Minister (Hon. Sir John Pundari) and National Planning Minister (Hon. Rainbo Paita) for how we have run the country,” he said.