Madang youths clean up town

By JAYNE SAFIHAO
YOUTH power has improved the image of Madang town, making it cleaner, safer and more peaceful.
Since the injection of a total of K250,000 by Governor and new Justice Minister Sir Arnold Amet towards assisting youths in the Madang urban area, residents are pleased with the outcome.
Eric Langiri, a resident of New- town, said that since the beautification programme started, the town’s image had changed for the better.
“The rubbish at the main bus stop is no longer an eyesore and the red betelnut spittle that sits on top of the rubbish piles. The flowerbeds in town and along the Modilon Drive have been weeded with new flowers planted.”
Virginia Peng, a mother, shared the same sentiment and said  that with the visibility of police presence, small time thieves and bag snatchers were no longer standing alongside shop fronts or bus stop areas and women felt much safer.
Madang Urban Youth Council (MUYC) chairman Steven Manda said that what residents were experiencing was Sir Arnold’s 2020 plan for the province.
Last week, as part of MUYC and the Kalibobo vision 2020, a part payment of K5,219 was given to Pr David Navu, head of street preachers evangelism network, for his work in evangelising youths within the wards one to 10 area.
The payment will be made in instalments for different wards.
Manda said that this was part of helping to reform youths in engaging them in more meaningful activities, especially the neighbourhood watch programme, where they can also learn problem-solving skills as well as those imparted by Navu.
Meanwhile, the youths said they were made proud by the recent visit of sidelined prime minister Sir Michael Somare and Finance and Treasury Minister Patrick Pruaitch.
The two accompanied Sir Arnold to Madang last week before leaving for Wewak.