The People's National Congress is a
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...
in
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...
. Its former leader
Bill Skate served as
prime minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
from 1997 to 1999 and as speaker of Parliament from 2002 to 2004. Skate died in 2006 and the party was led by
Peter O'Neill
Peter Charles Paire O'Neill (born 13 February 1965) is a Papua New Guinean politician who served as the seventh Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea from 2011 to 2019. He has been a Member of Parliament for Ialibu-Pangia since 2002. He was a fo ...
until 2022. PNC originated from the National Capital District where former leader (late Bill Skate) was the Governor of NCD and the Parliamentary Member. The party had 16 members in the 113-seat
National Parliament of Papua New Guinea
The National Parliament of Papua New Guinea is the Unicameralism, unicameral national legislature in Papua New Guinea. It was created in 1964 as the House of Assembly of Papua and New Guinea but gained its current name after the nation was grante ...
as of December 2022.
History
The party was founded in 1993. It merged with the
Christian Country Party and a number of smaller parties in April 1998 to form the
PNG First Party, but split in June 1999 into a revived People's National Congress and a revived
National Party.
At the
National General elections of 2002, the party won 2 of 109 seats. At the
2007 election, the party won 4 seats. It became a member of the coalition government led by
Michael Somare
Sir Michael Thomas Somare (9 April 1936 – 25 February 2021) was a Papua New Guinean politician. Widely called the " father of the nation" (), he was the first Prime Minister after independence. At the time of his death, Somare was also the lo ...
's
National Alliance, and received two cabinet positions.
Following that on August 2, 2011, nine years after holding the position of prime minister, the
National Alliance coalition government led by
Michael Somare
Sir Michael Thomas Somare (9 April 1936 – 25 February 2021) was a Papua New Guinean politician. Widely called the " father of the nation" (), he was the first Prime Minister after independence. At the time of his death, Somare was also the lo ...
was superseded by the PNC Party led Peter O'Neill coalition alongside PNG Party Leader
Belden Namah
Belden Namah (born 30 December 1969) is a Papua New Guinean politician. Namah is a member of the National Parliament for the Papua New Guinea Party, and has represented Vanimo-Green River District since 2007. He served in the Cabinet from 200 ...
, and Parliament Speaker Jeffery Nape, who was responsible for determining that the office of the Prime Minister was vacant in the
Papua New Guinean Constitutional Crisis.
Peter O'Neill was thereafter elected prime minister, resulting in a political impasse between the O'Neill-Namah led coalition majority and the Somare led-minority. The nation underwent a number of difficulties and court action was brought forward against the two political groups. The police force and defence force were divided, and there was the possibility of a possible military coup and mutiny, followed by a police mutiny and public demonstrations funded by the various interest parties.
The party fared well in the
National General Elections of 2012 with Leader Peter O'Neill and Deputy Leader Job Pomat, led by with its free education and free health policy platform winning 27 seats nationally. In the 9th Parliament the party holds 12 Ministries, as well as the Deputy Speaker position and the Prime Ministership. Deputy Leader Job Pomat lost his seat of Manus Open to
Ronny Knight, and was subsequently replaced as Deputy Party Leader by
Mao Zeming of Tewa Siassi Open.
In the 9th Parliament the party did not assume its relations with the PNG Party led by Belden Namah and was forced to consolidate its numbers with its political rivals including the National Alliance led by Michael Somare, the Peoples Progress Party led by former prime minister
Sir Julius Chan and the People's Democratic Movement led by former prime minister
Paias Wingti
Paias Wingti (born 2 February 1951) is a Papua New Guinean politician. He served as the third Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, prime minister of Papua New Guinea between 1985 and 1988, and again from 1992 to 1994.
Early life and education
Win ...
. The Opposition of the 9th Parliament is now led by Belden Namah and 11 MPs.
[Citations for the above can be viewed in the two dailies, Post Courier and the National Newspapers from and in between the periods of August 2011, June 2012, as the two dailies continuously reported on a daily basis on the latest developments regarding the political impasse]
PNC Pre-Election Part Officials and Executives Simon Korua (President), Garret Kising (Vice President), and
Jonathan O'ata (Secretary General), were all elected in the PNC National Congress held in Goroka in late February 2012 and early April 2012, which was attended by many public participants and registered members numbering close to 5,000 people. The current Registrar of Political Parties, Dr Gelu, was present and accompanied by Dr David Kavanamur (Advisor and former chairman of Government Task Force) among the many dignitaries that accompanied the Party Leader Peter O'Neill, who was then widely recognised as the prime minister of Papua New Guinea.
Core policies
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Hon. Peter O’Neill has developed 5 core policies for the country. "These policies are not short term solutions, but long term strategies to deliver real outcomes and improve the communities of Papua New Guinea." The 5 core policies are the following, "Law & Order", "Infrastructure", "Healthcare", "Education" and "Our Economy."
The party's economic policy is focused on attracting foreign investment.
Election results
National elections
, -
! Election
! Total votes
! Share of vote
! Seats
! +/–
! Government
, -
!
2002
The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
,
,
,
, 2
,
, -
!
2007
2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year.
Events
January
* January 1
**Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
,
,
,
, 3
,
, -
!
2012
2012 was designated as:
*International Year of Cooperatives
*International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Events January
*January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins.
* January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
,
,
,
, 22
,
, -
!
2017
2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly.
Events January
* January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
,
,
,
, 1
,
, -
!
2022
The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
, #2
,
,
, 11
,
References
External links
Official Facebook page
{{Papua New Guinean political parties
Political parties in Papua New Guinea
*Main
Political parties established in 1993