Josephstaal needs proper roads

I COME from one of the most isolated places in PNG, the Josephstaal LLG of Middle Ramu in Madang.
From my village, it’s a six-hour walk to the vehicle track and, after catching a PMV, it takes another four hours to travel to Bogia station.
If you’re travelling to Madang town, that’s another four hours.
My people are some of the most hardworking people in PNG and most of us own large cocoa plots and fermentaries.
On my last visit last December, I counted about 40 fermentaries in my LLG, with five of them from my own village, owned by family groups.
As a result, the economy in the village is sustained by cocoa buying and selling with small growers selling wet beans at K1/kg and dry bean bags for K400 in Madang.
Due to this, the standard of living in my village is higher than some other places around Madang.
Most houses have roofing iron, solar panels and lights.
However, the deteriorated state of the road between Bogia and Josephstaal has seen people walking longer and cash crops being carried further to reach the road, leading to higher costs and reduced profits.
In 2017, the current Madang governor promised to upgrade the road, of which he received 6,000 first choice votes from my LLG alone.
Please fix our road so we can sell our cash crops, and once it gets exported the Government can collect its tax while we get our fair share and everyone is happy.

John Mavi Jr
PNGUoT Student
Ori Mangi Yasi