Abel: Services lacking

 Papua New Guineans are still waiting to see development even though the country is blessed with so many resources, National Planning Minister Charles Abel says.

Abel said Government services in districts had been lacking for years because millions of kina from the gold and copper mines given to government departments including National Planning for services delivery were eaten up by the “cancer of corruption” in Waigani.

“We have about 300 of such people sitting there at National Planning office in Waigani,” he said. 

“They have been arrested by the Task Force Sweep. But when will one of them be convicted?

“I don’t know why money goes to this department and gets missing. 

“But we are a new Government and for the first time we are giving K10 million to each district, K5 million each for provincial support improvement programmes and K500,000 each to local level governments.

“The problem we are now trying to solve is how we are going to implement. 

“I am pleased to announce today that I have gone through your district plan and I am very impressed. It’s a good plan.”

He was speaking at the launching of the five-year (2013-17) Wewak district development plan in Wewak last Thursday. 

He said the plan would enable the Government to fund projects outlined so that they benefited the people.

Wewak MP Jim Simatab said the plan was the roadmap for development in the district.

District administrator Ricky Wobar said Wewak was the first district in the province to have a formally endorsed district plan, which provides the direction for the district to deliver services to its people.