‘Be committed to serve’

By PISAE GUMAR
MOROBE administrator Bart Ipambonj has urged all public servants to be humble and committed to serving rural areas.
He said this yesterday when taking over the reins from outgoing acting provincial administrator Sheila Harou, who had been in the position for the last two years. Ipambonj said public servants must know the living conditions in villages in the 560 wards in Morobe.
These wards were within 560 wards in 33 local level governments in the nine districts of Morobe.
Ipambonj, a career Morobe public servant, said villagers had been marginalised for 42 years.
He said his administration would focus on giving a new lease of life to villages and wards over the next five years.
“I do not want villagers to risk their lives travelling to Lae to look for me or governor,” Ipambonj said.
“I won’t be in the office. I will be out in the villages.”
Harou handed over her performance report and key to provincial administrator’s office to Ipambonj.
The ceremony was witnessed by deputy administrators, divisional programme advisers, district administrators, MPs Kennedy Wenge and Thomas Pelika, public servants and the general public.
Ipambonj, meanwhile, vowed to take a holistic approach in service delivery to rural people.
He said he wanted to manage Morobe administration as a semi-commercial entity with the aim of generating K1 billion by 2022.