Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has paid an emotional and historic tribute to the late Morobe Governor Hon. Luther Akisawa Wenge, describing him as “a true patriot, constitutional defender, and one of the last of Papua New Guinea’s first generation of nation-builders.”
The Prime Minister delivered his tribute during the State Funeral Service at the Sir Ignatius Kilage Indoor Stadium in Lae, before thousands of mourners including dignitaries, government leaders, members of the diplomatic corps, church leaders, and citizens from across the nation who gathered to farewell one of Papua New Guinea’s most enduring and principled leaders.
In a heartfelt address that blended national reflection with personal respect, Prime Minister Marape said Governor Wenge belonged to the generation that carried the nation from the dreams of Independence into the realities of statehood.
“Governor Wenge belonged to the first generation of Papua New Guineans who carried the hopes and dreams of nationhood,” Prime Minister Marape said. “He was a public servant through and through — a man of law, a man of peace, and above all, a constitutional defender. He never resorted to violence or tribal confrontation. He always turned to the law — the National Court, the Supreme Court, or the District Court — to seek justice.”
The Prime Minister said Governor Wenge’s lifelong service to the nation epitomised the ethics of service that defined the early generation of educated Papua New Guineans, who were mentored by founding fathers such as Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare, Sir John Guise, and Sir Julius Chan.
“When the question was asked in the late 1960s and early 1970s — ‘Where are your doctors, your lawyers, your judges, your engineers, your technocrats to run this country?’ — it was men and women like Luther Wenge who stood up to answer that call,” he said.
“They became the first sons and daughters of our new nation — schooled in the 1960s, matured in the 1970s, and served through the 1980s and beyond. They carried the flame of Independence into every public office, courtroom, classroom, and province across our young country.”
Prime Minister Marape described the late Governor as one of the most fearless defenders of Papua New Guinea’s Mama Law — a man who placed the Constitution above all else, even in the face of political pressure or popular opinion.
“He was a constitutional defender. He believed that no Prime Minister, no company, no government could stand above the Mama Law that binds us as a people,” the Prime Minister said. “His respect for the Constitution guided every decision he made. He lived by its spirit, even when it meant taking a stand against powerful interests.”
The Prime Minister said Governor Wenge’s legal background and deep conviction in the rule of law defined his decades of public life — first as a lawyer, then as a judge, and finally as a politician.
“He never saw leadership as power,” Prime Minister Marape said. “He saw it as responsibility. When disputes arose — whether political, legal, or social — he did not fight with fists or tribes. He went to court. He trusted the institutions of law. That is the hallmark of a civilised democracy, and Governor Wenge embodied that spirit.”
Prime Minister Marape moved the crowd with a deeply personal reflection on the late Governor’s humility and self-sacrifice.
“Governor Wenge lived a life of true servanthood,” the Prime Minister said. “He put his country first, Morobe second, and his family last. Every ounce of his energy was devoted to public service. He was not perfect, but he was faithful — faithful to his people, faithful to his province, and faithful to Papua New Guinea.”
Addressing Mrs. Wenge and the family, the Prime Minister expressed the nation’s gratitude for sharing their husband and father with Papua New Guinea.
“To Mrs. Wenge, to Mathew Wenge and your siblings, to Kennedy Wenge and the wider Wenge family and the tribe that raised this great man — thank you,” he said. “You gave this nation a great son of Morobe. He served with all his heart, all his mind, and all his strength.” He quoted the Gospel of Matthew — “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” — assuring the family that their father’s legacy would live on in the hearts of those he served.
Prime Minister Marape said the people of Morobe have produced some of the most distinguished sons and daughters in the country’s history — from pioneering leaders and judges to athletes, businesspeople, and educators.
“Morobe has always been central to the building of Papua New Guinea,” Marape said. “From the late Utula Samana, to the late Ennie Moaitz, our first female
Premier, to Boyamo Sali, to Titi Christian, to the late Sam Basil and many others — Morobe has given this country its finest sons and daughters. The late Luther Wenge stood among them as a towering figure.”
He thanked the people of Morobe for giving the nation a leader who championed unity, equality, and justice.
“You gave the country Lae City — the industrial capital of Papua New Guinea — and you gave us Governor Wenge, a man who embodied the Morobe spirit of service, honesty, and resilience,” he said.
The Prime Minister said that while Governor Wenge’s passing marked the end of an era, it also reminded today’s leaders of their responsibility to continue what he started.
“In death, he has left behind a torch for all of us to carry,” Prime Minister Marape said. “His work is not finished. Some tasks are left incomplete. Some dreams remain unfulfilled. It is now our duty — as leaders and citizens — to finish what he began.”
He cited several key initiatives that Governor Wenge had championed — including the relocation of the Tutumang Provincial Headquarters, the continuation of the Lae–Kabwum road works under Connect PNG, and the Pastors Assistance Programme, which supported rural churches and pastors in their community service.
“Some may see these as small things,” the Prime Minister said, “but Governor Wenge understood that pastors hold our communities together. He valued the moral backbone of our society.”
Prime Minister Marape added that the National Government would ensure that the Connect PNG Road network extends from Lae to Kabwum and connects to Wenge’s home area, symbolically fulfilling part of his vision for Morobe’s future.
Reflecting on the nation’s 50th Independence Anniversary, Prime Minister Marape said the moment calls for renewal of the same patriotic spirit that guided Luther Wenge’s generation.
“As we mark 50 years of our nation’s independence, we must remember men like Luther Wenge — men who asked not what their country could do for them, but what they could do for their country,” PM Marape said.
“The least we can do, as those who remain, is to pick up where they left off. To carry the good work forward. To lay aside divisions, and to build Morobe and Papua New Guinea with unity and purpose.”
He likened the moment to his own experience with the late Hela Governor Anderson Agiru, recalling Agiru’s final words to him: “Some jobs are left for you brothers to do when I am gone.”
“Governor Wenge has done his part. Now it is for us — the living — to continue the work,” the Prime Minister said. “To fix Morobe, to fix Papua New Guinea, and to build the nation that men like Luther Wenge dreamed of.”
Prime Minister Marape led the nation in a final farewell.
“Goodbye, my big brother,” he said softly. “Rest now in peace. Thank you for your love and care for your people, for your province, and for your country. May your legacy endure, and may Papua New Guinea prosper because of men like you.”