Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has called on Papua New Guinea’s public servants and health workers to embrace sacrifice, discipline, and service above self, drawing from a deeply personal childhood experience to illustrate what true commitment looks like.
Speaking at a fundraising dinner for the Hela Provincial Health Authority (PHA) on Sunday evening (November 23, 2025), Prime Minister Marape told an emotional story of travelling with his father as a young boy on an 18-hour journey from Oksapmin to Sisimin, a remote village along the Strickland River.
“We walked to visit my uncle, the late Jonathan Andane, a church medical worker who served at the Sisimin aid post,” the Prime Minister said. “My father helped build the aid post and its small airstrip through church and community labour.”
The journey — which involved trekking through rugged highland terrain, sleeping along the way, and finally rafting across the Strickland to reach the village — left a lasting impression on him.
“My father and uncle worked without salary. They walked days into remote communities simply to serve. They lived through mission. They lived through sacrifice,” he said. “The same God who was merciful to my parents will be merciful to you as you serve in Hela and the remote parts of our country.”
Prime Minister Marape said the story of Sisimin symbolises the spirit that once defined public service in PNG — a spirit he believes must be revived as the nation enters its 50th year of independence under the Reset PNG@50 agenda.
“The greatest want of our country is not money,” he said. “It is disciplined men and women who work hard, who deliver within the resource envelope given to them.”
He warned that poor time management continues to undermine productivity and national progress.
“Time is God’s equal gift to all of us — 24 hours,” he said. “Success or failure depends entirely on how we use it. I will not tolerate lateness or delays in programmes.”
Prime Minister Marape urged public servants and health professionals to honour their individual roles and strengths, referencing the biblical parable of talents.
“If Dr James Kintwa is gifted to lead as CEO, and others are gifted as surgeons, pharmacists, or pathologists — operate in your gift space. Collective talents produce collective success.”
He said Hela Province, despite being labelled “the least of the least”, is beginning to show what can be achieved when sacrifice, discipline, and leadership come together.
“Hela is rising from ground zero because of people who work, not people who complain. You are living examples of what is possible when service comes before self.”
He encouraged workers to reflect on Matthew 5:7 and Galatians 6:9 as they continue their mission in remote communities.
“May God bless your hands, your homes, and your work,” he concluded.