Manam’s lost generations

THIS is in regards to the people of Manam who have been suffering in care centres for far too long.
Can the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Peter O’Neill, the elected leaders of Madang and the Bogia MP explain to the people of Manam why it has been taking too long to finalise their resettlement?
I am writing this because I have been a victim of the situation ever since grade 8 at Banara Primary School in 2005.
We are refugees in our own country.
We have been betrayed by our own leaders, suffering under the nose of our own leaders, and they have been bluffing us as they prepare to host the Apec Leaders’ Summit in Port Moresby next month
It is like a grave that has been decorated to hide the rotting smell under the soil.
There are many young people at the care centre and you cannot just abandon them while you look at other things to prioritise.
It’s been too long.
This situation has existed since the days when John Hickey was MP.
Life in the care centre is not made for human survival; the refugees don’t have land to cultivate to grow food or cash crops.
They don’t even have materials to build houses.
There is no education and young people can’t go to universities or colleges and therefore roam the streets and become a nuisance, creating crime problems in care centres and trouble for nearby communities of mainland Bogia.
The population is growing in the care centres and it’s a major concern.
More and more problems are surfacing and as young people are forced to stay out of school, the illiteracy rate in the community increases, causing even more problems.
There are health issues to deal with, exacerbated by the lack of good food and safe drinking water. People are getting sick.
One of the things that hurts the most is the loss of generations of Manam people who are growing up without education and no longer accustomed to their once unique culture.
How long can Papua New Guinea continue to neglect these people?

Henry Kauke
UPNG