It’s vital to fix the Highlands H’way

THE government should be ashamed for allowing the Highlands Highway, the bloodline of our economy, to deteriorate over the years and is literally falling apart.
What is NEC doing about it?
A government that pays a cavalier attention to an important highway in the country is one that has lost focus and vision of this country.
The shocking state of the Highlands Highway demonstrates where the government’s heart is.
Isn’t this pathetic when leaders talk about big economic impact projects everyday?
People who are supposed to fix and manage this highway are not doing their job.
They see fit to drive around in the latest expensive four-wheel drive vehicles, dress up in their best and expensive attires and go globe-trotting at the expense of the people of PNG.
Shouldn’t they be ashamed of themselves?
The Prime Minister has gone into deep sleep while his senior ministers and bureaucrats who are responsible for the maintenance and management of Highlands Highway have a “I don’t care attitude” to issues affecting the nation and its citizens.
I am shocked that the government does not see the urgency to fix the Highlands Highway immediately, especially when coffee, tea and other export-based products from the Highlands cannot reach the Lae wharf.
The supplies and equipment for the LNG project lying in Lae port cannot be transported and delivered to Southern Highlands in a timely manner.
The domestic market is also suffering because fresh food from the Highlands cannot be transported to other parts of PNG.
In fact, the government should stop talking about the LNG project and the windfall revenues because it simply does not understand what it means to go from point A to B.
Wide-spread lawlessness, white-collar crime, deteriorating public health care, dysfunctional educational and social infrastructure, weak marine and border surveillance and unabated inflation growth are serious issues which should set off the alarm bells for the government to get back to the drawing board to find solutions to address these issues.
Our country is very sick, Mr Prime Minister!
We cannot pretend that everything is well.
I call on the Prime Minister to haul up National Planning Minister Paul Tiensten, Treasury Minister Patrick Pruaitch and Works Minister Don Polye and grill them over the Highlands Highway.
These three ministers must stop travelling overseas for the next 12 months until they get the Highlands Highway fixed.
Enough is enough.

Nationalist
Ialibu