No more actors for DAL, please

THIS is an open letter to the Minister for Agriculture and Livestock and Minister for Public Services regarding the appointment of a permanent department secretary for DAL.
It’s been a long wait for news of a substantive appointment.
The agriculture and livestock industry stakeholders, mostly small-scale farmers, livestock herders and other important stakeholders, are being made to wait for so long while the process of “acting” appointments takes months and years without any news of making a permanent appointment.
Why is it taking so long? The prolonged delay in appointing a substantive secretary while keeping someone on an acting basis is like Hollywood where actors abound in make-believe roles.
We the stakeholders of this important sector expect the ministerial appointing committee headed by Elias Kapavore to see that a permanent head of department is announced soon.
This important department has several issues pending which warrant a permanent secretary to deal with, especially with SABBL, research, climate change food security, the commodity board, Kumul Agriculture Holdings Limited and rundown plantations.
We are also concerned that we have had unqualified people appointed only because they have connections with politicians or the Government.
For this position we expect the Government to consider credible career agriculturalists with the necessary academic qualification, management experience, honest andhas integrity.
I recommend the current director-general of National Agricultural Research Institute Dr Sergei Bang, an well qualified agriculture scientist who has both research and management experience.
Over to you Government.

Ningapil Wak
Port Moresby