Governor defends cash payments for projects

 MOROBE Governor Kelly Naru has defended his decision to support projects and programmes with cash and material, saying money and material are meant to benefit the recipients.

Naru distributed a total of K23,250 to traditional dancers from Buingim (Nawaeb), Malai (Tewae-Siassi) and Yalu (Huon Gulf) in Morobe who participated at the opening ceremony of the  Pacific Games. Provincial chairman of sports and culture and community representative in the Morobe provincial government Amos Wallace gave K7000 to the same groups.

Naru presented K400 each to singsing groups from Oro, Jiwaka, East Sepik, Southern Highlands, Enga and Central and committed K20,000 to the  PNG Education Institute.

“Many people and critics are saying that Naru is now becoming a charity organisation and the Morobe provincial government is like a donor agency, but I want to tell these people and critics that you must understand how governance and politics works in Morobe. The most important thing I want my critics and the media to understand is that my practice of giving out materials and cash to the different groups of people, is that it is not mine. 

“It is their money, it is their assets and I am just giving them back to them. It is theirs and I am just the custodian.”