Hela workers to get special allowance

THE Hela Transitional Authority board has approved a special allowance to attract the best people to live and work in the soon-to-be Hela province.
Authority chief executive officer William Bando said on Monday during the post-closure of the two-day authority board meeting in Port Moresby that the board had approved the Hela provincial public service structure plan (HPPSSP) and the 2011-13 Strategic Development Plan.
“Under the HPPSSP, we will have 600 public servants work for the  Hela administration,” he said.
“And they will be paid a special ‘Hela allowance’ to attract the best people to come, live and work in the province.”
Bando said the board had approved the authority’s management’s proposal to enter into liabilities to build the first 100 of 600 houses and all key infrastructure.
“The Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu chartered accounting firm has been engaged to put the instruments together for the incorporation of a local level government-owned trust company to manage all provincial government’s commercial interests, including the multi-billion kina LNG project benefits.”
Southern Highlands  Governor Anderson Agiru, Koroba-Lake Kopiago MP John Kekeno, Komo-Margarima MP and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister  on Constitutional Matters Francis Potape and with Tari-Pori MP and authority chairman James Marape attended the event at the National Parliament.
It is expected the Hela provincial administration will be functioning by next year.
Commending the board’s approval of the plans, Agiru urged the Hela people to work with him and their three MPs to develop the soon to be Hela province.
Agiru, who is a Hela man, said Potape, Kekeno and Marape were working with him.
“We are only enemy within ourselves if we are divided. We are now at the crossroad and will fulfil or break the dream of having our own province,” he said.
“We must put away our tribalism differences and work together to achieve our dream.”
The 16 Hela council presidents, churches, women and youth leaders attended the board meeting and approved the plans.
The meeting was held at the Holiday Inn.