Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has used the occasion of Mother’s Day to make a heartfelt national appeal for greater respect and care towards women — especially mothers — as Papua New Guinea prepares to mark its 50th Independence Anniversary later this year.
Prime Minister Marape urged the men and sons of Papua New Guinea to honour women not only in words but through daily actions rooted in love, protection and dignity.
“This is the 49th year of our nationhood and the 49th Mother’s Day since independence in 1975,” Prime Minister Marape said. “While we strive for progress, development and reform as a government, the true transformation of our country begins at the very foundation — respect for women, and especially our mothers.”
Drawing on the Holy Bible, the Prime Minister reminded the nation that women were divinely purposed as helpmates, central to life and society. Quoting Genesis 2:18, he said: “It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
He went on to highlight Genesis 2:24, which calls on men to leave their father and mother and be united with their wife—underlining a man’s responsibility to cherish and care for the woman.
“When sin entered the world, in Genesis 3:9 God sought out Adam—even though Eve sinned first,” he added. “‘Adam, where are you?’ speaks powerfully to the responsibility of men. Today I ask all men in Papua New Guinea: where are you when your wife suffers? when your daughter cries? when our mothers are disrespected?”
Counting down to 16 September 2025—PNG’s Golden Jubilee, Prime Minister Marape called for a “moral reset,” inspired by Leviticus Chapter 25, to begin with individual conduct at home and in communities.
“Government can fix roads, fight corruption and build schools—but if our citizens do not get the basics right, our efforts will not bear fruit. Respecting mothers and women must become part of our national character.
“The Bible commands it. Our national anthem—‘O arise all you sons of this land’—calls us to this duty. The greatest gift we can give our women, as we journey into our next 50 years, is a safer, fairer, more loving country.”
He concluded with a direct call to action: “To every man, husband, brother and son across our nation: respect your mother; respect your wife—the mother of your children; respect your daughters—the mothers of tomorrow; respect your sisters; respect the women in our communities who care, work and lead with strength every day. If each man in PNG does this, we will have already begun to change our country for the better.”