People's Movement for Change

People's Movement for Change
LeaderGary Juffa[1]
PresidentRawali Bokuik [1]
SecretaryRodrick Kanama [1]
National Parliament
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People's Movement for Change is a political party in Papua New Guinea.

It first contested the 2012 election, at which it won two seats: leader and former IRC commissioner Gary Juffa as Governor of Oro Province and former Port Moresby Rugby Football League chairman Labi Amaiu in Moresby Northeast Open.[2][3]

Amaiu crossed to the People's National Congress in January 2013, leaving Juffa as the party's sole member of parliament. Amaiu stated that he valued his former party and still had confidence in Juffa, but that he believed his people would benefit from the leadership of Prime Minister Peter O'Neill.[4]

In February 2015, the party was moved from the government benches to the opposition benches by Leader of Government Business James Marape for Juffa's outspoken criticism of government policies and announcements, particularly in relation to logging and landowner issues.[5] The party officially joined the opposition in October 2015 in protest at claimed non-fulfilment of promises by the O'Neill government.[6]

In May 2016, Juffa publicly condemned the deal between the Papua New Guinean and Australian governments regarding the Manus Regional Processing Centre. He stated that the day the agreement was signed was "the lowest point...in PNG's time as an independent nation" and that PNG's sovereignty had been "prostituted". He further described the relationship between Papua New Guinea and Australia as "neo-colonialist grovelling".[7]

As of May 2019, the party had one seat in the National Parliament, with Juffa as its sole MP.

  1. ^ a b c "REGISTRY OF POLITICAL PARTIES" (PDF). Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 April 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  2. ^ "Amaiu eager to change city". PNG Post-Courier. 30 May 2012.
  3. ^ "NATIONAL PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS 2012". PNG Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 15 August 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ^ "MP Amaiu defects to PNC". PNG Post-Courier. 1 January 2013.
  5. ^ "PNG MP Fairweather joins Opposition". PACNEWS. 19 February 2015.
  6. ^ "Juffa officially joins opposition in protest". PNG Post-Courier. 27 October 2015.
  7. ^ "Manus Island detention centre operator's shares placed in trading halt – as it happened". The Guardian. 28 April 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2017.