Masiu disappointed with minister’s response

Deputy Opposition leader and South Bougainville MP Timothy Masiu yesterday expressed disappointment at Works and National Planning ministers’ response on the funding of two roads projects in Bougainville.
Works Minister Michael Nali provided an answer to his query and then asked National Planning Minister Richard Maru to elaborate further regarding the funding.
However, Maru said that he would get the Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer Charles Abel to clarify funding.
Abel was not present at Parliament at the time.
Masiu told Nali that the national government had funded the road from Kieta to Toimanapu and Toimanapu to Kangu.
“But the two contractors can’t work because of no funds. I had asked this question to the former Works minister in the last Parliament,” Masiu said.
“Those contractors took big funds and they are not working on those roads.”
Nali said those roads were under his department’s programme and they only provided technical advice and supervision.
“All these projects come under the National Planning Department,” he said. “I talked to the National Planning minister on these projects about two weeks ago and he told me that he was waiting for Treasury to release the warrants so they can pay contractors and contractors can finish the work.
“So I will ask Maru for clarification because they run the project and we supervise the projects.”
Maru then said that he would check with the Treasury minister and get back to Masiu.
However, Masiu raised a point of order that he was not happy that Nali and Maru had avoided his question.