MP eager to deliver
The National, Thursday 25th April 2013
By JEFFREY ELAPA
MINISTER for Finance and Education James Marape is determined to deliver much needed services to his Tari-Pori electorate in Hela.
He said this yesterday after announcing the successful completion of the Pori road.
The road connects the remote Kopiago area to Telefomin and Oksapmin in West Sepik and Western.
Marape said the Pori road was constructed during the colonial era using free local labour.
He said he had allocated K1 million to upgrade the road through a local company called, Tokaju Construction, which was selected by the Southern Highlands tenders board in 2009.
He added that former Southern Highlands Governor Anderson Agiru, also gave K3 million for the road but the company only cleared the bushes.
“I must commend Tari-Pori Development Corporation, which took over from Tokaju and delivered the road to allow trucks to reach Pori station that was cut off from the rest of the world,” he said.
“From shackles of poverty and lack of development, I must commend the people of Pori living along the new road not to ask for compensation and create road blocks.
“Let me also assure my people that your majority of votes to me in the last elections are now repaid through the construction of the road despite the court challenge against my win and my national duties,” he said.
Marape said he had structured his district to deliver one project at a time “and for this time to have a road constructed reaching the remote Pori station is heartwarming and satisfying”.
“I thank the local council contractor led by chairman Tayago Hamono and management, Timon Awari and Loe Yagoma and the staff for a job well done.
“Please let us continue to build this road until we reach Kopiago from our end as my brother member for Koroba Kopiago Philip Undialu has sourced K10 million funding for the completion of the road,” he said.
“I ask all people to maintain law and order and support development as my policy is maintain law and order and you receive services and I will continue to support the people of Pori for being with me since 2002.”