By VERONICA MANUK
TEAM spirit and new focus for the New Year was the pledge from three Members of Parliament for New Ireland who celebrated Christmas dinner together.
The three leaders – Governor Sir Julius Chan, Kavieng MP Martin Aini and Namatanai MP Byron Chan – for the first time held such an occasion in the province with the provincial administrator Robinson Sirambat and his senior staff and members of the business community.
Sir Julius accompanied by his wife Lady Stella and Mr Aini flew into Kavieng from Port Moresby on Christmas Eve to join Mr Chan for the occasion.
Sir Julius told the dinner guests that he was working harder now and acknowledged that he needed the support of the public servants and the business sector to move New Ireland forward.
“I’m not growing any younger, so I’m not wasting time. I need to move forward and I can’t do it alone, I need you all, the administration and the business sector to do it,” Sir Julius said.
He thanked Mr Chan and Mr Aini for their support to fund the free and subsidised education policy next year.
He said it was one of many large impact projects he had announced for New Ireland.
“We must set the pattern now for the people to see because if we don’t, we won’t have the challenge,” Sir Julius said.
The two parliamentary members pledged their support for the initiatives and plans of the governor, stating they looked forward for the New Year for new and greater development achievement for New Ireland.
Sir Julius and his son Byron are members of the People’s Progress Party (PPP), sitting in the Opposition, while Mr Aini is a Pangu Pati member in the Government.
The PPP and Pangu are bitter rivals in New Ireland province, with Pangu’s Ian Ling Stuckey holding the governor’s seat for two terms until he was deposed by Sir Julius in the elections.
Sir Julius has formed an asset recovery team which is now going around confiscating items such as vehicles or banana boats that were given under the Ling Stuckey’s regime.