Bridge housing gap


I AM appalled over the manner in which the current Government is claiming credit on certain issues of national importance, which has a greater impact on the gap between the privileged and the underprivileged.
I refer to the report “Govt claims credit for 90,000 home seekers” (Oct 4).
I wonder who the 90,000 applicants are.
As citizens, we must ask these fundamental questions:
*Who are these people applying for housing loans?
*Are they business people and MPs?
*How many simple village persons can access a housing loan through a commercial bank, not to mention the bank’s lending criteria and policies?
*Interestingly, how many applications are for the politicians and their cronies?
*How many of these applications will be approved?
*Can Arthur Somare honestly tell us how he can bridge the “infrastructure gap” when he has no control of the rising costs of accommodation?
*These surplus funds from the budget are the fruits of us hardworking taxpayers. Some of you guys only consume the dishes we provide.
Furthermore, he went on to claim that some five years ago, there was no such thing as confidence and no one was applying to the banks for housing loans. What happened from 1975 to 1980? Was there no confidence?
The fact of the matter is that the current situation allows only the politicians and business people to own properties – public servants live in the settlements. Their money is just enough to support their daily living.
The ordinary hardworking, working class citizens of our country come out of the settlements every day and work their guts out so that people more privileged than them can apply for loans the minister is talking about.
What is 90,000 applicants compared to the total population of six million people.
You tell me who is more privileged? Six million people or the 90,000?
I call on the Government to bridge this gap before 2012!

Benson Petrus
Western province