Papua New Guinea's Minister for Education Pila Niningi has called on a fellow minister to apologise for alleged racism.
Nick Kuman (left) and Pila Niningi (right) Photo: Supplied
The Minister for Higher Education Research and Technology Nick Kuman has been criticised for recent remarks about his department's secretary, Jan Czuba who is European.
Nick Kuman was addressing Jan Czuba directly at a public ceremony.
''I know you have a lot good things being said about you, for me I am a nationalist I don't like white people, am honest with you I like to work with my own kind, you're a father and have done a lot of good things we must let good people continue the leadership''
The minister said he was a nationalist and didn't like white people.
Mr Kuman said despite the good work Father Czuba had done in higher education in PNG, he preferred to work with his own kind, Papua New Guineans.
Pila Niningi said his cabinet colleague's remark was absurd and goes against the PNG culture of tolerance and diversity.
''We don't normally tell our foreign friends and visitors directly in their face that we don't like them because of their race, religion, status or origin, how can we develop we develop a nation of thousand tribes without the help of our ''white friends'' who came genuinely to help us invest in human resources''.
Mr Niningi also said if the Minister didn't like his secretary he has the powers to sack him but should not humiliate him in public.
As the previous higher Education Mnister, Mr Niningi said Fr Czuba had been in the country for a while and help contribute towards human resource building.
He has called on Minister Kuman to apologise to Father Czuba for his remarks, and for Prime Minister James Marape to sack him for being racist.