Govt must prevent urban migration

Letters

I WRITE to add on concerns raised by Samson Wena of Kerowagi, Chimbu (The National, Sep 13) in his letter, titled, “Settlers must demand land titles or vote MPs out”.
I presume Wena’s concerns are over the manner government is selling state lands recklessly to political cronies, foreigners and people with lots of money.
I support his points because we have workers such cleaners, plumbers, carpenters, drivers, teachers, nurses and other countless working groups from both the private and public sectors who work tirelessly to serve the country.
The Government should address their issues collectively as they contribute to spinning the economic wheels of the city where employed.
Urban drift also contributes to unplanned settlements and law and order problems.
The Government must consider a Vagrancy Act to curb and minimise the urban drift problem to save our capital city and urban centres cities from being clogged up with settlements.
Successive governments seem to lack control or urban drift which is causing more strain to the already overstressed government services.
Under our current laws, citizens have the freedom to move anywhere around the country and settle there permanently.
Settlements have sprung up like mushrooms in the National Capital District.
In the 1960s and 1970s during the colonial era when I was growing up as a boy I saw with how the Australian administration contained and controlled the movement of people from the rural areas to urban centres.
There was control and orderly movements of people into cities and towns.
There was a great respect for people’s properties, respect for one another, respect for government authority and customary traditional systems and respect for our elders.
Since attaining independence and to this day, that respect has taken a nosedive.
Our traditional survival skills are eroding fast with new foreign influences.
The cities and towns are designated places for working class people, business people and students. Port Moresby is besieged by unemployed youth who regard the capital city as their village, sadly turning it into turning it into a big village, coupled with ethnic violence and increasing lawlessness.

 

Johnsford Bunaga
NCD