Highlands ex-servicemen call on government to settle entitlements

By YVONNE HAIP
FORMER servicemen from the Highlands who served during the colonial era held series of meetings last week in Mt Hagen to raise concerns over their “overdue” entitlements.
They said they wanted their promised money as they had laid the foundation of the nation by helping the Australian government before Papua New Guinea gained its independence.
They said they had been exposed to harsh conditions, worked under pressure and were mistreated by their superiors but submitted to their duties for the good of the country.
Speaking on behalf of over 40,000 ex-servicemen, former policemen Charlie Mel and Eddie Palisa, and Joseph Pali, an ex-warder, said they had been waiting for too long and wanted to know when they would be paid.
They said many of their colleagues had died waiting for payment.
Mel said they wanted Prime Minister Peter O’Neill to honour the commitment he made to them when he was a state minister.
Pali said they were aware that the Australian government, through its high commission in the country, had made available some money for them but that had never been paid to them.
He said they were promised up to K600 million and that amount had to be paid as they deserved to be given recognition and compensated for their part in nation-building.
He urged O’Neill to look into the matter before the elections and answer their pleas positively as they had been waiting in vain.
With parliament set to close for the elections, he is worried they will never be paid because there was no guarantee that those who made the promises would return to power.
The former servicemen said although they were happy with the new government’s policies and the immense changes it was making, they wanted to know where they fitted in the budget.
Mel claimed the government was holding back their money because it had most likely diverted the funds for other causes.
The former servicemen will meet tomorrow (Wednesday) to discuss the same issue, as well as other possible measures they could take to ensure they received their entitlements.