Bilong: Too much emphasis on church

 By MALUM NALU

ACTING Morobe administrator Geoving Bilong says the people Morobe will have to change their mind set if they are to see development in their lives.

Bilong said people were putting the church first in their lives and that was a major stumbling block to development in this day and age as evident in Lae and the rest of the province where outsiders were riding roughshod over locals in business.

Morobe has nine districts – Lae, Markham, Huon Gulf, Bulolo, Nawaeb, Finschhafen, Tewai-Siassi, Kabwum, and Menyamya – covering some of the most-rugged terrain to the sea.

Bilong said it was a mammoth and unenviable job trying to deliver government services in one of the largest and most-populated provinces in the country but that could be made easier if people changed their mind set.

“Morobe has had more than 100 years of exposure to the outside world,” he said.

“Our emphasis to date has been propagating the Gospel.

“In thinking like that, we’re saying that we’ll get our rewards in Heaven.

“We can enjoy the rewards now, we don’t have to wait for heaven, which in my opinion, means that you can have control of all the resources that God has given us, enjoy the benefit of these resources and we can still go to heaven.

“That’s the mind set that Morobeans need to change.

“I believe that when that changes take place, development will come.

“I believe in the people of Morobe.”