No demarcation for Hela boundaries

Highlands, Normal
Source:

The National- Wednesday, January 19, 2011

 MORE than 300,000 people in the Hela region are still waiting for the boundary commission to demarcate and identify the provincial boundaries.

Community leader Big Ray Paul told The National that the people wanted to know which part of the province would join the new Hela province before the 2012 general elections.

He said since parliament passed the Hela and Jiwaka laws in 2009, people were still confused over the land boundaries.

He said with 18 months before the general elections, parliament should not talk about establishing a boundary commission that will specifically look at the Hela province as well as the Jiwaka province.

He said since the declaration of  Hela, its authority chairman James Marape was doing so much but he lacked the support of the other leaders including the governor.

Paul called on all leaders to work together to push for the land boundaries than just isolating themselves from the province’s issues.

“The electoral commission, when contacted, said the land boundary commission can only carry out its duty when the parliament approves it therefore I’m calling on the four MPs to put the interest of Hela first so that the province is prepared for the 2012 elections.”