‘Poverty rife in PNG’

Lae News, Normal
Source:

EVAH BANIGE

THE self-styled consumer watchdog, Melanesian Solidarity Group (Melsol), has written a protest letter to the Government about “the alarming increase of poverty”.
Melsol said in Lae on Monday that “the country had gone to the dogs”.
Melsol directors Paul Isikel and Augustine Baimur said they were speaking out because they believed all was not well in Papua New Guinea.
“People cannot feed themselves. The costs of basic good and services are too high.
“The Government has been emphasising stability and not been concerned about decreasing poverty.”
Mr Baimur said people could no longer live in rural areas due to the absence of government services and so they migrate to urban areas to find them. .
“To make matters worse, there is the increase in criminal activities and the Government is sitting back and doing nothing much about it.”