Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has called on the people of Papua New Guinea to observe Repentance Day in reflection of their walk with each other, especially in their respect of law and order

The Prime Minister made the call enroute to Tonga for the Pacific Islands Forum summit at his stop-over in the island country of Niue.

He said, “I apologise sincerely that I cannot join you all to mark the event because of the clash in my work calendar.

“The Repentance Day event will take place in Mt Hagen tomorrow.  This is a day Government has set aside for repentance. Government will be represented by the Minister for Community Development.

“My special appeal to our people is that they live within the laws of our society – our traditional laws, our Christian laws, our country’s laws.

“In this time of reflection, we repent of our sins that we have caused to God and to each other in our communities.”

The Prime Minister particularly made mention of all the men of Papua New Guinea, both young and old, reiterating the important role they play in the upkeep of law and order in our society.

“Our national anthem calls for all our sons to rise up. In this Repentance Day, I want to appeal to sons of our country, including myself, to repent from all the wrongs that we have caused to each other and to our society.

“This starts in our homes. So repent to your wife, to your mother, to your sister, to the girl in your neighbourhood, in your school, in your workplace. Repent of the wrongs we have done to them.

“Repenting, saying sorry, and living within the laws is the easiest and free contribution every citizen can do for your country.

“If all of us live within the spirit of repentance and the laws of our society, our country will be a better place.

“From those of us who hold public offices right down to the rank and file, and to every member of our society – if we live within the laws of our country, or of our Bible, or traditional society where there is deep respect of each other, then PNG will be a better place,” said PM Marape.

Prime Minister Marape said he was sending this special message from the country of Niue where he stopped over to honour an outstanding commitment made in 2014.

“Here in Niue the people are very peaceful. They do not have many natural resources in minerals or agriculture, but the people here live peacefully with each other. They are a very tiny island country in the Pacific but receive 10 times more tourist visitors than their own population. Tourism is big here because the people here are peaceful and loving; they respect the Rule of Law, and live within laws in society,” he said.