Mathias Salas

Papua New Guinean politician

Mathias Salas

Minister of Finance
In office 2 October 2020 – 19 September 2023
President	Ishmael Toroama
Minister of Finance
In office 23 June 2005 – 2010
President	Joseph Kabui
Minister of Minerals, Gas and Petroleum Exploration
In office 23 June 2005 – 2010
Member of the Bougainville House of Representatives
Incumbent
Assumed office 2020
Preceded by	Nicholas Daku
Constituency	North Nasioi
In office 2005–2010
Preceded by	none (constituency created)
Succeeded by	Nicholas Daku

Personal details
Nationality	Papua New Guinean
Political party	Bougainville People's Congress

Mathias Roman Salas is a Bougainvillean politician and former Cabinet minister. Salas is a former banker.^[1]

In the 2005 Bougainvillean general election Salas was elected to the first Bougainville parliament as a member of the Bougainville People's Congress. On 23 June 2005 he was appointed Minister of Finance and Minerals, Gas and Petroleum Exploration in the cabinet of President Joseph Kabui.^[2] In 2008 he served as acting vice-President.^[3] He subsequently lost his seat in the 2010 election.

Salas was re-elected to parliament in the 2020 Bougainvillean general election.^[4] On 2 October 2020 he was appointed Minister of Finance and Treasury in the cabinet of Ishmael Toroama.^[5] Salas delivered three annual budgets for the Autonomous Bougainville Government, focusing on regional development. In 2022, Salas questioned the National Government of Papua New Guinea over a discrepancy between the amount of money budgeted for Bougainville and the amount that had been appropriated.^[6] In September 2023, Salas was removed from this post in a Cabinet reshuffle, and replaced by Robin Wilson, the member from Terra constituency.^[7]

References

^ "KABUI NAMES CABINET IN BOUGAINVILLE". Pacific Islands Report. 24 June 2005. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
^ "Bougainville's autonomous government's ten person Cabinet sworn in". RNZ. 23 June 2005. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
^ "Top public servants in Bougainville face sack over financial irregularities". RNZ. 4 December 2008. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
^ "PNG Government Delegation Flies Into Buka". PNG Post-Courier. 28 September 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
^ "Bougainville's Toroama forms a 14 member Cabinet". RNZ. 2 October 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
^ "Parliament Passes ABG 2022 Budget" (PDF). Bougainville Bulletin. 10 May 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
^ "ABG Cabinet Reshuffle". Inside PNG. 19 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2024.