Hundreds bring Madang to life

By DOROTHY MARK
HUNDREDS packed the Laiwaden Oval in Madang on Sunday to celebrate the country’s 43rd Independence Day.
It coincided with the province’s four-day Maborasa festival which began on Friday.
School children marched with police, prison officers, soldiers, public servants and Seventh-day Adventist Pathfinders.
Madang Governor Peter Yama inspected a guard of honour. But there was no flag-raising ceremony.
Acting provincial administrator John Bivi said the organising committee failed to organise one. Members of the disciplined forces told him that the flag ceremony should have been done earlier.
Yama thanked founding fathers Sir Ted Diro, Sir John Guise, Fr John Momis, Sir Angmai Bilas, Sir Julius Chan and Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare for leading the country into independence.
“We didn’t fight to gain independence because it was given to us easily and we continue to maintain that,” Yama said.