Gulf leaders must be united

GULF’s political leaders and senior bureaucrats at the provincial and district administration levels must work together.
They must put aside their political differences and start working together as a team for the common good of our people.
The three MPs and the 10 local level government presidents must commit themselves to work together as a united Gulf government and two effectively working District Development Authorities to ensure that government services are delivered to the rural people.
We keep saying that our people have been denied access to essential services such as health, education, transportation, communication, law and order and improved infrastructures because some of us have spent time living with people, seeing it and have felt it.
Our people have not been given opportunities through income generating projects to participate meaningfully to improve their standard of living at village, sub district and the district levels.
Our leaders are not working together to deliver these services.
They are away in Port Moresby living in isolation most of their time accessing easy services provided by the National Capital District governor, business houses, corporate entities and the three NCD MPs.
Where is your place of work and employment?  Why do you get paid and for doing exactly what? Why can’t our elected leaders and senior bureaucrats bring similar services to Kerema and Kikori districts so that our rural majority for whom they are responsible to can also access these services?
If our elected leaders, provincial and district administration officers could spend a lot more time with our people at their wards, LLG areas, sub districts,  electorates and the province they will understand the struggles that our people go through each day trying to make a living.
They can then make smart decisions based on what our people’s basic needs are, why they do not access basic services and in doing so, spend developmental funds accordingly to improve these services.
Leaders cannot continually ignore the pleas of the people for services and development.
Elected leaders are mandated by their people and are responsible and accountable to their people for services delivery and developmental changes.
Similarly, public servants are employed by the Governments to serve the people at district, provincial and national levels.
Gulf has seen least of developmental changes in both Kerema and Kikori in the past 10-15 years. The human resources are also least developed area in the province.
It is unfortunate that many label Gulf as one of the least developed provinces despite producing some of the top political leaders in the nation.
Everything rises and falls with leadership.
As they say, the districts and  provinces are only as good as their leaders.
Gulf needs leaders with vision, strategic in thinking, objective and developmental oriented more than ever at this point in time in the face of developers, investors and public scrutiny.
Leaders must trust one another, complement one another, work together for the common good of the people in their wards, LLGs, districts, province and the nation.
The province cannot afford to have leaders who are narrow-minded, self-centred and wonder away from their call of duty and responsibilities after been elected or promoted.
The next crop of leaders must be visionary, strategic in thinking, purpose-driven to deliver basic services and developmental changes, objective-oriented and people oriented so that issues affecting our people are addressed proactively at ward, LLG, district and the provincial levels on a regular basis.
With the significant increases in district services improvement programme (DSIP) funding from K10 million to K15 million a year, the three Gulf MPs, 10 LLG presidents and 150 ward councillors should have no excuses to serve our people in Gulf in the best way possible.

BK Dara
Baimuru, Gulf