I REFER to the letter “Maladina’s proposed projects not practical” (Dec 20) by Graham Woods. I have notice substantial anomalies that deserved a lot more analysis.
Initially, the 100-year old road network that Woods highlighted was built by colonial plantation owners and sawmills operating in the electorate.
The administration capitalised on these established infrastructure to facilitate its purported patrols.
Since then, many of these companies have pulled out of the country leaving behind the dilapidated state of roads that the present Government cannot afford to maintain.
Worse still, these private roads are outside the declared national roads to be maintained by the State, obviously, because the cost benefits cannot sustain the construction and subsequent recurrent maintenance costs.
For instance, the Salome Galubwa Basin road maintenance would cost about K6.664 million just to serve 4,000 people.
This is an equivalent of the 42,000 Esa’ala people foregoing other compulsory governmental services for the next five years.
The economic woes of having a road network in the Esa’ala district would be for worse then what the writer imagined.
Moreover, his choice of motor vehicles to marine boats falls short of merit for this island community.
Transportation largely depends on sea to move market produce to Alotau.
Perhaps it would appear a completed wastage of public funds to build expensive roads and provide vehicles that may have minimal to no economical returns.
Finally, the assumption that Maladina’s projects failed in the last term is absurd.
In his first term in Parliament, there were milestone development initiatives that the majority of Esa’ala people have embraced as evidenced in his landslide election victory last year.
It is very unfortunate that the writer should remain comfortably seated in his run-down Ganawe Plantation, persistently unconcerned about the welfare of his labourers.

William Tomofa,
Port Moresby