Contradicting statements

YOUR coverage last week by a government delegation that visited Launakalana, in Central, to inspect the poor road conditions reminds me of a popular comedy I loved watching growing up in the 70s and 80s called The Three Stooges.
The comedy is about three funny characters who continuously end up in disaster with everything they touched.
Reason being they faced each issue as individuals, not knowing what the other would bring to the table and often end in chaos, confusion and laughter.
The delegation led by Central Governor Robert Agarobe, Transport Minister William Samb and Civil Aviation Minister Lekwa Gure sounded every bit like the three stooges if you read the public statements they made during their visit.
The trio were joined on the visit by Works Minister Michael Nali.
Nali told the gathering that the government had no money to fix the roads and that the situation has been bad for the last two years.
Full marks to Nali for being up front. At least the message is consistent with what we’ve heard in the last two and half years that the government has had financial issues.
But minister it doesn’t make sense to go down there to open the new Central Plant and Transport Board if you have no money to fix the roads.
Besides minister, you have been in that job for almost three years and if you can’t find answers to the road problems, then it might be time to handover to someone else who can.
Then the three Central stooges took over.
Samb told the gathering that he will provide one million kina from the transport department to fix the roads.
The problem is there are nine roads that are in need of urgent maintenance. I’m sure the transport minister who is from Central can do better.
Gure took to the stage to lecture the audience about the need to avoid giving contracts to opportunists who charge excessively for poor quality work. That’s all fine, except Gure has not delivered any major road works including the maintenance of the Launakalana road in his electorate so he would not have too much experience in dealing with contractors.
Then the daddy of all the stooges, Agarobe, strolled up and contradicted every one by saying he has the money to fix the roads. Agarobe said he was able to save money by saying no to all the personal requests to the tune of K48 million.
Governor, if you had the money why are you not using it to fix our problems?
Why are you sitting on the funds, while Central people are suffering or is the poor state of Launakalana road a personal request?
I would be concerned if these funds are not being used because if the Treasury gets wind of this, they will recall them to the consolidated revenue to be used in the Supplementary budget.
The truth is that the funds are not available for use yet as the governor would make you believe.
The governor said the “funds were pre-committed to the roads”.
It’s good to hear but pre commitment is another way of saying we don’t have the cash yet.
If you look at the governor’s track record, it will take some time before the roads get fixed.
In January 2018, the governor took out paid advertisements saying he would make a big announcement on the Central City project.
A few days later, he cancelled the gathering without any explanation.
Last September, he took former Prime Minister Peter O’Neill to Goilala and announced he would increase air services to the district in a matter of weeks.
The Goilala people are still waiting for the improved air services and twelve months has gone by.
I don’t want to sound too negative and you don’t have to believe everything I say.

Central Tauna