Madang returns 2 Pangu MPs

By JAMES G KILA
THE slogan Wok bai tok devised by Pangu Pati for the 2022 National General Election paid dividends in all corners of the country after the majority of the party’s incumbent MPs snatched convincing victory in the political race.
Madang province was no exception when two of its Pangu MPs namely Robert Naguri in Bogia district and Jimmy ‘Action leader’ Uguro in Usino-Bundi were declared first and second in Madang province respectively.
A helicopter was ready at Bogia station last Thursday afternoon to take Naguri to Madang. The next day the chopper was refueled and took Naguri all the way to Walium to wait for the next declaration which was his brother Pangu Pati member Uguro.
After arriving at Walium Naguri realised that counting was not yet completed, however, Uguro was already racing away in the figures so the Bogia member-elect persuaded the police personnel to take him by road all the way to Uguro’s village at Bill.
Naguri was delightedly impressed upon what he noticed at Walium in the form of a new sports stadium and indoor complex named Opotio Rimoru Hall in memory of a former Usino-Bundi MP. This was where the Usino-Bundi counting was staged.
Along the way from Walium one could already notice developments in shape of the electricity supply to Usino station, the new Usino Health Centre and a few meters away the new Usino Technical HighSchool.
An excited crowd of Uguro’s supporters including his immediate and extended family, and village elders who had camped at his home welcomed the Bogia member-elect Naguri to Bill village with jubilation.
Uguro thanked the people of Bogia district for re-electing Naguri back into parliament, stating it was a win for them and a win for services to continue to flow.
After a brief meeting the leaders were escorted to Walium where the Usino-Bundi member-elect completed the instrument of the election process by writing the declaration writ.
During his inaugural speech soon after signing the writ Ugoro reiterated the call for a united Usino-Bundi and Gama in order for development and services to flow smoothly to benefit the masses.
Uguro stated that Usino, Bundi and Gama people must be united as one so the district would see change.
“In the last 40 years we have not seen changes because leaders have divided the people. Leaders have divided the electorate. With me there is no division. We are going to be one,” he stated.
Uguro challenged public servants in Usino-Bundi to ‘pull up their socks’ and not to be complacent.
“My declaration doesn’t mean that we will go on holiday,
“Usino-Bundi is no longer a holiday place, Walium district office is no longer a holiday place. We have to be intellectually qualified to perform our duties as public servants,” he said.
He appealed to the public servants to trust him and so that they could gain the confidence of the people so they can deliver services.
Uguro thanked the Prime Minister James Marape for having confidence in Usino-Bundi and in entrusting him with the education ministry which he served in the last term of parliament.
He also thanked Marape and Pangu Pati for delivering free education in the country.
“We have not failed Usino-Bundi and the country. We’ve delivered the education services to the best of our abilities to our people throughout the country,” Uguro said.
He said on behalf of his family he acknowledged and thanked all his staunch supporters and the polling and counting officials plus the police and the army personnel who made sure the election process in Usino-Bundi was completed successfully.

• James Kila is a freelance writer

Everyone needs a simple
budget

By GABBY MUGANG
NOWADAYS most working class Papua New Guineans, whether in the government or in the private sector, are having problems with managing money.
The fortnightly wages they earn seem to last for only a few days and they go back to zero balance struggling to survive. This causes them to end up getting credit (dinau) either in money or goods on credit from mostly table markets, trade stores, money market people and others. Some go to the extreme of getting loans from financial companies and commercial banks.
When the next pay day comes all the money earned goes to repaying the credits and loans. They are left with nothing so they get dinau again. The same thing repeats on the next fortnight so it’s becoming a habit and an on-going issue which is developing into a big problem now for many working class Papua New Guineans.
Hence, many people are not enjoying the blessings that they have sweated their heads for. Instead their hard work is enjoyed by other people. While the financial companies and commercial banks are making huge interests from the hardworking citizens who are living in debts and poverty simply because of their carelessness attitudes of mis-management and unwise budgeting. This phenomenon is keeping them in prison that many are struggling to come out.
The simple way to get out of this is to do a wise simple budget. Well what is a budget? A budget is a plan for the use of money. So every fortnight you must plan on how to use your money wisely. Hence, always make a list of your expected expenditure and budget on that. You may have many important things or needs on the list but I just want to point out on some priority areas that you should budget on.
When you get your fortnight, the first thing that you should give priority to budget on is your tithe and offering. Tithe is the 10% of your income which you must give it to God because it is rightfully His share. The offering is your freewill giving; that is how much you love God and it must be equal to tithe or it can be more. Do not worry about money.
If you do not give the tithe and offering to God where it belongs. You will still give it to someone or somewhere else to pay for the curses that come to you such as medical bills (children always sick), compensation expenses, children misbehaving so you continue to spend more money in their school fees, family problems and other unnecessary expenses that will eat away your finance and you’ll continue to live in debt and poverty. Therefore, pay your tithe and offering to where they rightfully belong and you will live a life of abundant blessings.
The next priority area that you should budget on is the 20 per cent saving which is your personal save up. It is not referring to your Nambawan Super or Nasfund savings. This 20 per cent savings that you save you must never touch it but let it build up until you go into a business. And continue to grow your business until it becomes so successful so that it can sustain you in the long run. Then this life of dinau will eventually become a history to you.
After you budget for these priority areas then you can look at your other needs. One of the common needs for parents is school fees for their children. The most helpful way to meet that need is to save up.
Let’s say if you save K50 every fortnight for the 26 fortnight in a year then you are saving K1,300 by the end of the year. And if you double up by K100 savings then it’s K2,600. Or if you go by K150 savings per fortnight then it’s K3, 900. It is a lot of money. If your children are at primary or even at high/secondary schools, then you can be able to meet their school fees. Instead of queuing up at the banks and financial companies at the beginning of every year for loans. This loan thing will become the thing of the past. You will live a loan free life.
All your other needs like household items, easi pay, bus fare, lunch money, entertainment, community obligation and so forth must always be budgeted accordingly so you do not run into crisis. It doesn’t matter where you live whether in urban or in rural settings. And also it does not matter how much you earn in a fortnight, the important thing is that you must have a good budget to sustain you and help you live a dinau free life.
Nevertheless, living in debt and poverty is a choice and is connected with lack of knowledge and understanding, no planning and budgeting and wrong addictions of continuous borrowing and dinau lifestyles. In spite of this, debt can destroy your marriage, can rob your joy, can mess up your thinking, can affect your health, can shorten your life span and so on.
So please start thinking positive now, it’s never too late to come out from where you are. Use your will power to make the right decision to quit this dinau lifestyle so that you can live a healthy, successful, powerful and debt free life.