Prime Minister Hon. James Marape paid a deeply personal and emotional tribute to the late Minister for Works and Highways, Hon. Solan Mirisim, describing him as a humble leader whose life’s mission was to connect Papua New Guinea’s most isolated people to opportunity, dignity and national development.

Speaking at the funeral service in Port Moresby, Prime Minister Marape said the late minister’s leadership was shaped by his upbringing in some of the country’s most rugged and remote regions, where access to basic services, markets and infrastructure was limited.

“Solan and I came from similar beginnings — from the rugged mountainous parts of our country where life is hard, distances are long, and opportunity never comes easily,” Prime Minister Marape said. “Those early years taught us humility, vigilance and a deep understanding of what it means to live far from government and services.”

The Prime Minister said those shared experiences forged a strong bond when the two men first worked together in Parliament in 2012, culminating in a shared commitment to rural connectivity when the Marape Government was formed in 2019.

“When I formed government, Solan was one of the first colleagues who stood with me,” Prime Minister Marape said. “He believed deeply in the philosophy of leaving no place and no one behind.”

Prime Minister Marape said Hon. Mirisim never viewed his appointment as Minister for Works and Highways as a position of prestige, but rather as a responsibility to serve people who had been disconnected for generations.

A defining achievement of the late minister’s tenure, the Prime Minister said, was the opening of the Kiunga–Tabubil–Telefomin Road, a project long considered impossible due to extreme terrain and logistical challenges.

“That road was more than infrastructure,” Prime Minister Marape said. “It was dignity. It was inclusion. It was a declaration that no part of Papua New Guinea, no matter how remote, must be left behind.”

He said the road symbolised hope for communities in Western Province and Telefomin who had lived for decades dependent on air transport and cut off from basic services.

Prime Minister Marape said the late minister’s vision for connectivity extended well beyond a single road corridor, encompassing many districts that remain isolated nearly 50 years after Independence.

“Districts like Telefomin represent many parts of our country that are still left behind,” Prime Minister Marape said.“The work ahead is to connect Telefomin to Kiunga and Tabubil, to open up the Middle Fly, to link Karamui, Bosavi, Nomad and other hard-to-reach areas, and to ensure no region remains isolated simply because of geography.

“The remaining road links — connecting Telefomin to Oksapmin, to Kopiago, and across the Sepik to Bewani — will be completed in time. Beyond these, places such as Kabwum, Karamui, Simbai, Bosavi, Pomio and Kandrian remain among the last frontiers still waiting to be fully connected. These communities matter. Their people matter. And in honour of the late Hon. Solan Mirisim, we recommit ourselves to reaching them.”

He said these connections were essential not only for transport, but for access to health, education, markets and economic participation, reinforcing the Government’s broader Connect PNG agenda.

“These are not just roads,” Prime Minister Marape said. “They are lifelines that bring dignity, opportunity and national unity.”

Beyond politics, Prime Minister Marape reflected on Hon. Mirisim’s early life as a small-scale entrepreneur, operating trade stores and guest houses, and supporting missionary aviation services to keep remote communities connected — experiences that shaped his work ethic and service mindset.

In a solemn appeal, the Prime Minister used the occasion to urge leaders and public servants to take their health seriously, revealing that the late minister often prioritised others’ medical needs over his own.

“You can only work when you are alive,” he said.“Take time for medical checks. Look after your health so you can continue to serve your family, your people and your country.”

Concluding his tribute, Prime Minister Marape said that whileHon. Solan Mirisim had passed on physically, his vision and spirit would continue to guide the nation.

“He believed in connecting the unconnected and reaching those left on the margins of our country,” the Prime Minister said. “His thinking, his passion and his purpose remain with us. May his legacy inspire us to continue the work he loved so deeply.”

Hon. Solan Mirisim is remembered as a tireless advocate for rural infrastructure, inclusive development and national unity, whose contribution to Papua New Guinea’s connectivity will endure for generations.