Govt focusing on restoring services in province

SOUTHERN Highlands has experienced its fair share of manmade and natural disasters in the recent years and its administrators hope to address the issue soon, acting deputy administrator, economic and social services Fiebik Kilip says.
Landslides, flooding and tribal fighting have cost lives as well as economic hardships.
“One of the reasons for slow provision of relief action and remedies is the absence of a permanent administrator,” Kilip said.
Southern Highlands has been without a permanent administrator since 2011 and on Tuesday, Jerry David signed a four-year contract to be the permanent administrator.
Kilip said leadership had been an issue in the province, with a lot of acting administrators appointed and changed, bringing instability and inconsistency to the running of the local government and management of the province and its districts. “With this permanent appointment of the administrator, it gives us a lot of confidence and it calls for united efforts for all the public servants in the five districts of the province to come together and work together,” he said.
“I appeal to all our public servants who are paid by the provincial government and who are not in the province to return to the province and start doing your duties as the provincial administrator is in office.
“He will need your support.
“Southern Highlands is not like any other ordinary province, we have gone through a lot of disasters, both manmade and natural disasters.
“We have some issues that are not resolved and are still big in our province, but, with this appointment, we believe that it will be restored and our province will no longer be the same.
“With God’s help, we will move forward and deliver to the people.”