Papua New Guinea's democracy is still young. Its institutions are still being shaped. And when those institutions come under pressure — as they did in July 2025, when Parliament's Speaker moved to handpick the Opposition's own leadership — it is the role of principled political parties to push back. The PNC did exactly that.
Peter O'Neill publicly condemned Speaker Job Pomat's decision to appoint the Opposition Leader and Deputy Opposition Leader without reference to the Opposition Caucus — the body of elected Members of Parliament who, under every democratic convention, hold that right exclusively. O'Neill was unambiguous: what happened was an overreach that struck at the heart of parliamentary democracy.
"The Speaker has no mandate to choose Opposition leadership. Just as the Speaker does not appoint the Prime Minister or government ministers, the Speaker does not decide who holds the government to account. That authority belongs to the elected members of the Opposition Caucus, and to them alone."
— Hon. Peter O'Neill, July 2025
This was not a statement born of political convenience. It was a statement of principle — one that applies equally regardless of which party occupies the Opposition benches. When the rules of Parliament are bent for short-term political advantage, it is every Papua New Guinean who loses. The checks and balances that protect citizens from the abuse of government power depend on a robust, independent, properly constituted opposition.
The PNC has been the largest opposition party since 2019. With that position comes responsibility — responsibility to the tens of thousands of Papua New Guineans who voted for PNC candidates, and to the broader ideal of accountable, transparent government. The PNC will continue to exercise that responsibility without fear or favour.