Chimbu has great leaders

IN Chimbu, you do not necessarily need a university degree to enter politics or vie for public office for that matter because they say leadership comes naturally.
Its engraved in Chimbu rocks by none other than the country’s finest statesman and names eternally celebrated in Iambakey Okuk and Kondom Agaundo.
If intelligence quotient was solely the merit, then half the seat in parliament would have been taken up by the Chimbu people.
However, the political landscape today has gone beyond the Okuk/Agaundo era and its expectations are more than just the tre nero, pre nero.
For Chimbu to find its rightful place at the centre in Papua New Guinea’s contemporary politics, it would require both the wisdom and charisma of Okuk/Agaundo and the wit and intelligence that drives a Chimbu native to traverse boarders.
Chimbu engineer Sam Kaupa had crossed borders and traversed ranks in the corporate world.
A name that illuminates the underground mines of Porgera and gives hope to local engineers and mine workers that Papua New Guineans are capable of managing world class mines as mine manager in Ok Tedi mine, Sierra Leone, Egypt and Mali.
From an outside perspective, engineering and public affairs sound like two very distinct specialisations, but when one looks closer, the overlaps become more obvious.
Both engineers and astute politicians want to create something efficient, both have an eye for creative, innovative solutions; yet, they are both rooted in the realm of the possible.
As an international mine expert, Kaupa deals with engineering resource shortages and budget constraints and PNG’s socio-economic and development challenges are no different to the diamond mines in West Africa.
Ask me which Chimbu engineer trod the path of public life successfully after coming from a highly technical oriented background.
I give you Aiwa Olmi, Francis Kaupa and Chuave MP Wera Mori to name a few who skilfully navigated the contours of politics and produced benchmarking performance.
Chimbu is endowed with immense potential and resources which a man of good eye for possibilities and has the resolve to unearth, put value and market needs to be at the helm of the province’s leadership.
An international mine expert and leader in every aspect, Kaupa pays keen attention to details and brings to the fora effective planning, resource management and problem solving.
Chimbu is a special case and needs a specialist.

David Lepi