Another life taken in a neglected city


RECENTLY I attended a funeral service for a young man in Lae. Naturally, it was a sad day for his family, relatives and friends; another unfortunate death of one of our young citizens in the hands of the rising criminal elements in Lae.
He was a small time businessman, creating employment, providing for his family and making a meaningful contribution to the local economy.
Lae has gone from bad to worse in recent months. This is largely due to the deteriorating road conditions in the city. This young man was shot in the head at close range when he slowed his vehicle to manoeuvre over a large pothole, becoming a sitting duck for the criminals.
I want to highlight this incident and ask our politicians if they are aware of it and do they really care about what is happening in our country’s second largest city?
From the nation’s CEO down to the local representatives, they have all benefited from the economic revenue of Lae, yet they failed to give due respect to the city.
On one hand, we have a governor who has no vision for Morobe province and a poor track record in office even though he has been there for 10 years.
On the other, we have a prime minister who used this city to gain votes and numbers to form the government and then ignore the immense economic impact Lae has at the national level.
The city is at a stage now where the next economic boom from mineral and agriculture development in this country will put it under an even bigger spotlight. However, it does not have the infrastructure in place to efficiently deliver services for businesses, as one would expect from the industrial city.
There is a widening gap between our two largest cities. Port Moresby is moving forward by growing from the downstream businesses created by other large industries. Dozens of small to medium companies are thriving.
Poor old Lae lacks a decent restaurant or nightclub, no taxi service, a problematic university, a massive prime acreage land undeveloped in over 10 years and the list goes on!
We are talking about PNG’s largest seaport city that serves over three million inhabitants in six provinces, but cannot act like a city because our leaders have kept a tight leash on it.
Lae is a more livable city in terms of location, weather, an abundance of fresh Highlands and coastal produce, but families and business entrepreneurs need to work and live where they feel safe and get to enjoy the economic benefits should they decide to venture into private business.
Poor roads accounts for various negative socio-economic setbacks and in this case, it has accounted for the death of an innocent person who had made a small, but significant difference to his home town.
If the city’s road was in a better condition, it is more likely that the deceased man would be telling his mates today how close he came to being held up.
Unfortunately, another family has been left empty and full of questions. If only the politicians had played their parts.
Rest in peace, Mathew.

Lo
Lae