MP: Do not hijack national assets

By GYNNIE KERO
ROADS are national assets and should not be hijacked by provinces or people during natural disasters, says Komo-Margarima MP Francis Potape.
Potape (pictured) welcomed the decision by Prime Minister Peter O’Neill to introduce tougher laws to penalise people who block national highways and causing inconvenience to the public.
O’Neill said new legislation would be tabled in Parliament this month to have tougher penalties including long prison terms for those who knowingly abuse public property or prevent Government officials from discharging their duties.
“This is especially important during times of natural disasters,” O’Neill said.
“The law clearly states that there is a 40m corridor for national highways. This is public land that should not be obstructed.”
Potape, also acting as Hela Governor, said all the provinces contributed to the economic and infrastructure development of the country.
“No one should take highways hostage and cripple the economy. People shouldn’t have built homes or plant gardens very close to the highways,” he said.
“People in Chimbu and Goroka must think of their brothers at the back like Hela. Every province contributes to development of this country in their own different ways like cocoa, coffee, extractive resources, etc.”
Last week, businessman Jacob Luke paid K100,000 to landowners at Guo in Chimbu to allow repairs to the section of the Highlands Highways damaged by a landslide to proceed.