Haiveta admits woes in Gulf, eyes service-delivery overhaul
By MALUM NALU in Kerema
Gulf Governor Chris Haiveta yesterday admitted that there were many wrongs in the province that needed to be corrected.
He made no secret about this in his inaugural address to the provincial assembly in Kerema.
“Let us not doubt ourselves that we have a huge task ahead,” Haiveta said.
He said Gulf had:
- A fast-growing population;
- an ill-educated and impoverished population and disorderly social structures;
- a languid and inefficient service mechanism which is dysfunctional especially at provincial and district level;
- a deficit national budget with spillover effects into the provincial purse;
- a growing debt level;
- a declining national economy;
- widespread corruption in all levels of society; and,
- Poor state of public service infrastructure.
“Data collection and records is one of the biggest setbacks we have,” Haiveta said.
“We do not know how many babies have been born and how many people have died.
“It is sad to note that in the last 10 years, the province had deteriorated in everything, especially processes and procedures of governance, total lack of leadership, total lack of transparency.
“I am therefore engaging an all-inclusive management approach to overhaul the public service delivery system, demand an improved level of performance from our civil servants, thoroughly review all economic policies and benefit agreements in oil and gas industry, forest and GST agreements so as to recover and receive better benefits, strengthen institutions of State and to build and maintain a mature, vibrant and united political front.”