Govt should be held accountable

WE are always inclined to believe that those who hold radical political or religious views often become the perpetrators of crimes against humanity.
What about our district, provincial and the National Government in Papua New Guinea?
Can these levels of government be held accountable for the suffering of their constituents?
The untold suffering endured by the people in many districts and inaccessible areas of the country is a reality that is almost a human rights violation.
A lot of people in land-locked districts such as Jimi in Jiwaka and Karimui-Nomane in Chimbu grow coffee on a small scale in their smallholder plots.
But to the deteriorating condition of the feeder roads, a lot of coffee growers in these districts have become work horses and human mules.
They carry their coffee bags over long distances to reach the nearest pickup point to reach their provincial capitals.
I have seen thriving coffee plots in Jiwaka’s Jimi and Karimui-Nomane in Chimbu.
Despite its fertile lands, Karimui-Nomane is a geographically landlocked district with rugged mountains and breathtaking gullies.
Just imagine a villager carrying a coffee bag and descending the side of a steep V-shaped gully to reach the banks of the ferocious Waghi River below.
It is like descending a stairway that goes down and down forever into a narrow chasm.
This narrow chasm squeezes the river’s current into a very fast moving watery projectile.
That is not the end of his harrowing journey.
As soon as the coffee bag carrier reaches the banks of the Waghi River, he has to cross it and walk uphill to the other side.
The coffee bag which he carries weighs around 50kg.
During this, the poor villager sustains back aches and other discomforts which takes a toll on his health and well-being.
Although the villager may not have realised it, his suffering has a direct correlation to Government policy and Government decision-making.
Our people’s suffering is not a self- inflicted burden.
It is a direct result of our Government’s decisions and the lack of road maintenance by the authorities.
The Government should be held accountable for our people’s suffering.
They’ve suffered enough.

Paul Waugla Wii,
Chuave,
Chimbu