Marape hits back at NA leader Patrick Pruaitch

FINANCE Minister James Marape has hit back at coalition partner National Alliance Party leader and Treasury Minister Patrick Pruaitch’s outburst on the state of the economy under the PNC-led Government.

"Patrick Pruaitch must take responsibility as Treasurer and the chief economic minister of the O’Neill Government who presided over the economy over the last few years and not shy away for political convenience. And the timing of his outburst cannot be more political than it is now as we confront 2017 National Elections," Mr Marape said in response to the public statement on the economy last Friday.

"While he is exercising his independence of mind, it now affirms in our mind why the country’s treasurer remained silent on matters about economic policies confronting our nation. We now know he had a political motive to his lackluster performance as Treasurer. He has never on one instance offered constructive policy options to improve the economy in the three years he has been Treasurer in this government.

"The O’Neill Government is a consultative government and he was placed in the highest echelons to offer alternatives if he ever had any yet he chose to remain passive only to come out on the eve of election with this huge campaign statement."

Mr Marape said the National Alliance Party could retrospectively claim resuscitating the economy in 2002 to 2007, and the massive gains of surplus in 2008 to 2010 exacerbated by the extraordinary prices of commodity in that corresponding period.

"But least we forget under that period a massive K8 billion of surplus in budget were squandered in a centralised government manner when he equally presided as the Treasurer then.

"The question remains what infrastructural asset, what national legacy did he left behind then. History then is littered with a surplus budget with no tangible development for our country and years on when he was recalled to Treasury, it baffles my mind that he has the audacity to attach his own work, an admittance that he was wasting our national time in that office." Post Courier/ PNG Today