Scrap Provincial Government’s

The People's Action Party is calling for the abolishment of the provincial government system.

This, to be replaced by a system of autonomy.

Party Founder, Retired Brigadier General, Ted Diro stated this, alongside interim President Paul Tiensten , in Port Moresby on Tuesday.

Established in 1987, the People's Action Party was a major coalition partner in the Namaliu-led government in 1988.

Its founder, retired Brigadier General Ted Diro, held the post of Deputy Prime Minister back then. After its disintegration in 2012, the People's Action Party is looking at reviving its presence in the political space.

In a small but significant event on Tuesday, retired Brigadier General Ted Diro handed over the party leadership to Paul Tiensten as the interim president, witnessed by party executives.

The retired Brigadier General, says PAP, is now ready for the upcoming national elections in 2027.

"What is needed is a leadership that will deliver real change, opportunity and fairness in the distribution of benefits for our people," Diro said.

In the lead-up to this, the People's Action Party is introducing its Autonomy Project 2027, which offers a menu of legislative, administrative and financial reforms to meet the country's challenges and put PNG on track.

Interim President Paul Tiensten says the current provincial government system is not effective because power and resources are all centered around Waigani. Hence, he called for the replacement of this system through autonomy.

"It has been proven that Waigani cannot continue to micro-manage our country. Hence, we will be draining the Waigani swamp and dismantling the deep state," Tiensten said.

"The time is right for PAP to re-engineer and review the current dysfunctional political and economic system and political culture so that the government service delivery mechanism can be efficient and tailored towards empowering our people to have a quality of life and meet the challenges of life in the 21st century and beyond. "

"Now, we are proposing that there will be six autonomous regions. The People's Action Party is about autonomy, empowerment and putting people first," he said.