1 January 2021
Author: Ronald May, ANU
As 2020 began, Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) Prime Minister James Marape appeared to be in a strong position to pursue his vision of improved governance and better returns from foreign investment in big resource projects.
He had consolidated his position by late 2019 by attracting leading members of the opposition into government, and membership was growing in the Pangu Pati of which he had become parliamentary leader. But a myriad of political, health and economic challenges would soon threaten his leadership.
The onset of the pandemic was seen as a serious threat. Funding shortages and poor governance undermined the capacity of the health sector to deliver critical services. But PNG weathered the pandemic well, having recorded only 760 cases and 8 deaths as of 19 December. The government was assisted by aid from Australia and China, and by US$364 million in emergency funding from the IMF to address balance of payments issues.