Peoples National Congress
Which party was James Marape a member of from 2012 to 2019?
James Marape James Marape ( born 24 April 1971 ) is a Papua New Guinean politician , who is serving as the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea since May 2019 ; he has been a member of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea since July 2007 , representing the electorate of Tari-Pori Open in Hela Province in the highlands . He held Cabinet Posts as Minister of Education ( 2008–2011 ) and Minister of Finance ( 2012–2019 ) . Early career . Marape was born in 1971 in Tari , Hela Province ( then in Southern Highlands Province ) . He attended Minj Primary School and Kabiufa Adventist Secondary School in the PNG highlands . Marape graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Papua New Guinea in 1993 , and a postgraduate Honours Degree in Environmental Science in 2000 . He has a background in managerial functions . From 1994 to 1995 , he was Officer in charge at the PNG Institute of Medical Research , Tari Branch . From 1996 to 1998 , he was Operations Manager of GDC at the Hides Gas project . After obtaining his honors degree , he became Acting Assistant Secretary of Policy with the Department of Personnel Management from 2001 to 2006 . Political career . His entry into politics was tumultuous . Marape first contested the Tari-Pori seat at the 2002 election for the Peoples Progress Party , when voting in the Southern Highlands Province was cancelled due to widespread violence . He contested the supplementary election in 2003 but lost to incumbent MP Tom Tomiape in a contest marred by the bashing of a polling official by his supporters . He challenged the result in the Court of Disputed Returns , but both his initial petition and a subsequent appeal were rejected . He contested the seat for a second time at the 2007 election and defeated Tomiape . He won the subsequent parliamentary elections in Tari-Pori ( 2012 and 2017 ) . He obtained in 2017 50%+1 of the vote ( 30,192 votes ) and this is unusual in PNGs Limited PV system . A challenge by the second runner up Justin Haiara was dismissed by the National Court . Prime Minister Michael Somare gave him major parliamentary responsibilities after his win in 2007 : Parliamentary Secretary for Works , Transport and Civil Aviation , Deputy Chair of the Privileges Committee and member of the Parliamentary Referral Committee on Inter-Government Relations. [ He was Minister for Education from 16 December 2008 to 2 August 2011 . He was then a member of Somares National Alliance Party . In February 2012 , he left the National Alliance Party and joined the party of Prime Minister ONeill , the Peoples National Congress ( PNC ) . ONeill appointed him as Minister of Finance in 2012 . On 11 April 2019 , he resigned as Minister of Finance but remained a member of Peoples National Congress and the Government . However , he resigned from the party on 29 April 2019 . Sam Basil was appointed as Minister for Finance on 18 April 2019 . Ministerial succession . He resigned from PNC soon after his resignation as Cabinet Minister . Marape joined the MPs plotting a vote of no confidence in the ONeill government . He was elected as alternate Prime Minister on 7th of May 2019 . On the 17th of May the Ombudsman Commission recommended a leadership tribunal to judge ONeill and Marape on the UBS loan to acquire shares in Oil Search Limited . That was mentioned as the reason for Marapes replacement as alternate MP by Patrick Pruaitch on 28 of May 2019 . Marape introduced Patrick Pruaitch as alternate MP and declared that the vote for Pruaitch was by consensus . Peter O’Neill had then resigned as Prime Minister on 26th of May . However , Marape and not Pruaitch emerged from the succession struggle . Marape and 26 opposition MPs that had belonged to PNC returned to the PNC . As a result , the opposition did not have the numbers anymore for a vote of no confidence . The resignation of ONeill necessitated the election of a new Prime Minister . Marape obtained in the subsequent election 101 votes as compared to 8 for Mekere Morauta . ONeill expected that his Cabinet would continue as usual with him as parliamentary leader instead of Prime Minister . However , Marape appointed people who had opposed the ONeill/Able government . After a few months , Marape clashed with ONeill and directed him to the opposition benches , Marape had joined Pangu Party before he rejoined PNC . In August 2019 , he accepted the leadership of Pangu Party.In a Cabinet reshuffle on 8th of November Marape replaced most of the Cabinet Ministers . ONeill continues to be critical . He opposes especially Marapes view of the economy . He stresses that Marape is as responsible for the state of affairs as ONeill : he was minister of finance . Attempted vote of no confidence . On 10th of November 2020 Marape was confronted by an attempt to topple him from power . A motion of no confidence in the Marape government could be mounted after 30th of November as the grace period for a new cabinet expired then . A motion by Belden Namah was accepted ( 57-39 ) to adjourn Parliament to 1st of December with the intention to mount a vote on such a motion . Those who voted with Namah , 55 in number , went in a so-called ”camp” in Vanimo , the constituency of Belden . They comprised among others of 11 Cabinet ministers , 3 ex Prime Ministers and 4 ex Deputy Prime Ministers , Marape retorted by starting a “camp” on Loloata island near Port Moresby . Fifty thee MP went with him . At that time there were 110 elective members of parliament and the competition was therefore close . Marape resorted to well known tactics . First , he used an interpretation of the rules of parliament , Namahs motion was accepted with the deputy speaker -Koni Iguan- in charge . He joined the camp in Vanimo . Speaker Job Pomat then overruled the motion by Namah on the grounds that only a Minister is allowed to propose a parliament adjournment , Parliament was recalled and on 17 of November -with the opposition absent in Vanimo- the budget for 2021 was passed . This had been shelved by the opposition until after the vote of no confidence . Marape argued that it could not wait because it had to function in international negotiations . Job Pomat , the speaker supported throughout the procedures the Marape government . Parliament was then adjourned until April 2021.Second , the Private Business committee of parliament is crucial to get a vote of no confidence on the agenda . Namah had in his initiative replaced the members of that committee with supporters in the opposition . Marape reversed this and brought his own supporters on the committee in the session of 17th of November Peter O’Neill had fronted with Namah the opposition movement and brought a case before the Supreme Court to declare the budget sitting on 17th of November unconstitutional . The Supreme Court ruled in his favour and the decisions taken then were invalid . The Speaker recalled parliament on the 14th of December . The most important issue in this meeting was filing a motion of no confidence with the Private Business committee by Belden Namah . The opposition proposed Patrick Pruaitch as alternate prime minister . In that session the opposition had support of 55 members as compared to 32 The vote of no confidence was never tabled when parliament reconvened on 16 December , Eighteen MPs crossed the floor from the opposition to the government benches and therefore brought the governments support to 70 , a solid majority . Sam Basil , the previous deputy prime minister went back to his old place . The competition for alternate prime ministership between Patrick Pruaitch and Sam Basil had been decided in favour of the former to the dismay of Basil and his followers . They returned in protest to the government benches . It was perceived as an attempt to regain power by the old guard . Marape presented a confident New Years Message in which he also stressed the generational change in PNG politics . He also said that the old guard had a record in which there was little to be proud of . Personal life . James Marape is a member and leader of the Huli people , one of the countrys largest tribes and ethnic groups . Marapes father was a Seventh-day Adventist pastor with Marape identifying with the church as well . Marape is married to Rachael Marape , who is originally from East Sepik Province . The couple have six children . On being sworn in , Marape said he wants Papua New Guinea to be the richest black Christian nation in the world . External links . - James Marape on Facebook