Charles Abel

Charles Abel
Born	(1967-09-24) September 24, 1967 Bereina, Central Province, Papua New Guinea
Occupation(s)	Politician, Accountant, Singer
Years active	2007–2022 (politics)
Known for	Ministerial roles in Papua New Guinea government, Deputy Prime Minister (2017–2019)

Charles Abel (born 24 September 1967) is a politician from Papua New Guinea who represented the Alotau Open electorate in the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea between 2007 and 2022. In 2022, he sought election as governor of Milne Bay Province but did not succeed. Throughout his political career, Abel held several ministerial portfolios: Minister of Culture and Tourism (2007–2010), Minister for Trade, Commerce and Industry (2011–2012), Minister for National Planning (2012–2017), Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer (2017–2019), and Minister for Finance and Rural Development (June–November 2019). He played a significant role in formulating policies concerning natural resource management.

Personal background

Born in Bereina, Central Province, Charles Abel is a descendant of the missionary reverend Charles Abel, whose family made notable contributions to church, health, and education sectors in Milne Bay Province. He attended secondary school at Immanuel Lutheran College in Queensland and graduated with a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Queensland in 1989. Professionally an accountant, Abel held financial controller positions at Global Constructions and Ipili Porgera Investments, as well as conducting business activities in Milne Bay. Additionally, he gained recognition as a singer with the band Wabo Knights.

Political career

Initially elected as an independent candidate during the 2007 election, Abel joined the ruling National Alliance Party shortly after his victory, motivated by commitments to enhance resource distribution for Milne Bay representatives. On 28 August 2007, he was appointed Minister for Culture and Tourism in the government led by Somare. His ministerial accomplishments included securing Approved Destination Status with China, addressing concerns about Kokoda Track conservation and mining activities, improving access to the track and airline services, and advocating for the repatriation of artefacts that had been illegally removed from the country. Furthermore, he established a Settlement Reform Committee in Milne Bay to address issues related to informal settlements and managed the official response to the Airlines PNG Flight 4684 accident while temporarily serving as Minister for Civil Aviation.

On 19 July 2010, Abel joined three other ministers in defecting to the opposition and attempted a no-confidence motion against Somare; however, this effort failed when parliament was adjourned. Although Somare dismissed him from his ministerial post, Abel later retracted his support for another no-confidence motion in November 2010, which also did not pass. In June 2011, Acting Prime Minister Sam Abal appointed him as Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Constitutional and Electoral Matters.

Abel backed a successful no-confidence motion against Abal on 2 August 2011 and voted for Peter O'Neill to become Prime Minister. He criticized Abal’s inadequate handling of governmental affairs. Subsequently, Abel was appointed Minister for Commerce, Industry and Trade under O'Neill’s administration. He then joined O'Neill's People's National Congress party and was re-elected under its banner during the 2012 election. In August 2012, he was elevated to the position of Minister for National Planning.

During his time as Minister for National Planning, Abel supervised infrastructure development initiatives, addressed corruption within the public service sector, promoted biometric national identification systems, supported sustainable development policies, and coordinated aid programs including those related to the Australian detention facility at Manus Island.

In August 2017, following his predecessor’s electoral defeat at the 2017 election, Abel was appointed Deputy Prime Minister under Peter O'Neill. Although he lost this role in the First Marape Cabinet, he continued serving as Minister for Finance and Rural Development from June until November 2019.