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Sports |
Voters responsible for Esa’ala
leadership
“BAWE Kedewa” hit the nail on the
head when he said that Moses Maladina had failed Esa’ala but I
believe that the people are to blame for this.
There were many good leaders who contested the seat but the people
chose to accept the cash handout and voted blindly.
People such as Jeffery Toloube, Steven Davis, Pilikesa Manimua and
Linus Kameko would have been better choices to lead Esa’ala.
I hope we can vote wisely in the coming general election. -Womayamaya
Ena’ina, Morima Gwamana
Thanks for ATM
THE employees of Higaturu Oil Palms
greatly appreciate the move by the Popondetta branch of the Bank
of South Pacific to install another ATM at the company’s premises.
It will benefit us and other people living in the area.
Prior to that, Popondetta had only two ATMs to serve more than
6,000 people who would queue up for hours to do their banking.
-Ategurena Popondetta
Solve Unitech crisis
AS a parent and a foundation member
of the University of Technology, I would like to make the
following comments to the different parties involved in the
dispute. The national staff put forward their grievances last year
but the administration and the council failed to deal with them.
If it has nothing to hide, the executive of the administration
should have stepped aside as soon as the allegations were made to
allow the appropriate authorities to investigate. The students are
the innocent party. They and their parents are the most affected.
The Government, as usual, has kept quiet. It did not even carry
out an initial investigation which is very pathetic. If the
university is closed, the students will be badly affected. I
appeal to the vice-chancellor to swallow his pride and stand down
the senior administration. Let the lecturers return to classes.
– MPH, Port Moresby
Education brings change
I REFER to a letter by Cardo Stuntzo
of Lae headlined “Ipatas-Pundari union smells fishy” and any other
letters and comments in regards to the free education policy in
Enga. I am studying at the University of PNG and have been a
beneficiary of Ipatas’ free education policy since 1997. He has
successfully paid our fees for the last 10 years. PNG as a whole
is in an economic crisis. In Enga, the majority of the people are
subsistence farmers who live on a hand-to-mouth basis. Continuous
tribal fights makes the development of our province very
difficult. Every year, classrooms, health centres, agricultural
projects and so on are destroyed by warring tribes. So Ipatas’
policy on human resource development is a brilliant idea as
through education, we change the people’s attitude for the better.
–Lakapalap Nialapo, Port Moresby
Credit to Waterhouse
THE sudden resignation of the chief
executive officer of Telikom PNG, David Waterhouse, is a relief to
the union.It should please business houses and the general public
as the situation would have worsened if he did not resign. There
was talk of a mass withdrawal of labour but this has been put on
hold to allow for negotiations. Credit should be given to
Waterhouse for putting his credibility first rather than see the
matter end up in the court. How many local CEOs and politicians
would take such a step if they were in his shoes? I am inclined to
think that they would hire the best lawyers they can and do
anything under the sun to remain in office even though there is
clear evidence that they are actually at fault. – Nationalist,
Port Moresby
MP missing in action
THE people of Laiagam in Porgera are
wondering where MP Kappa Yarka is. Since the 2002 elections, we
have not seen any tangible development in our district. The
district office, built about 30 years ago, is deteriorating and
there are potholes all over the roads.
The health centre is also in need of medical supplies and the
tribal fighting is widespread. How has Yarka been spending the
district support grants? We have only seen him distributing cash
to his own clans.
We know his reasons for teaming up with Enga Governor Peter Ipatas.
The world’s third largest mining company is located in Laiagam
which should be a role model for other districts in terms of
development. Ask God to give us wisdom so that we will choose a
good leader this election. – Nelson Yapen, Laiagam
Tragic, untimely death
I AM deeply saddened to hear of the
tragic and untimely death of Alison Sudradjat’s death on the
Garuda Flight 200 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, on March 7. Alison had
very strong character and a no-nonsense approach to ensure that
PNG’s development benefited the rural majority when she was a
counsellor at AusAID, Port Moresby. I had the privilege of knowing
her as a PNG counterpart working as assistant secretary for
bilateral aid programme and later as acting first assistant
secretary, aid coordination and management division of the
Department of National Planning and Monitoring. Both Alison and I
would have long discussions almost everyday to set the initial
stage for some of the big discussions, negotiations and dialogue
on development and policy issues between Australia and PNG. –
Paul Enny, Port Moresby
 
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