No more marijuana

By ZACHERY PER
YEARS of missed opportunities for nearly 5,000 people of Ona-Keto tribe in Watabung Local Level Government area in Daulo district Eastern Highlands will be forgotten following the birth of Kiropa Kopai Association.
The establishment of the association early this year was consistent with the directive of Eastern Highlands Governor Peter Numu’s directive for communities in the province to register associations which would be used as conduits to deliver services.
The association was registered with the Investment Promotion Authority (IPA) and Internal Revenue Commission (IRC) in January this year.
Kiropa Kopai executives are Bata Kono (chairman), Benjamin Dawa (deputy chairman), John Pupa (secretary), Ropa Givi (treasurer), Max Daniel (deputy treasurer), Wes Daniel (women’s representative), Petrus Paiye (youth representative) and Pastor Paul Daniel (public relations officer and church representative).
Association chairman Kono said after many years of being neglected they formed the association and registered it to facilitate services to the people as directed by Governor Numu.
“We now have a legal entity to ensure basic services in the provision of health, education, agriculture, economic projects and water and sanitation services are delivered to the people via the association,” Kono said.
He said youth rehabilitation was one of the major priorities of the association, to support youths keep away from drugs (marijuana) and help keep the Magiro to Kenagi sections of the Okuk highway free for highway users.
Kono said the nearly 5,000 members of the association were from the Ona tribe which comprised Kipupa, Geremana, Nerogena, Nimewari, Yombaringe, Panaufa, Kopufa, Kambiango and Olto Kane clans, and the Keto tribe made up of Ketairaufa, Boruku, Ketonoduku, Ketowafuku, Iraufa, Wafuku, Nogoku and Ronguku clans.
The birth of the new association was like a rescue package for youths who had been involved in marijuana cultivation, trading and consumption. They openly surrendered and vowed to stay away from drug in the presence of Governor Numu and Daulo MP Pogio Ghate who attended the association launching at Koningi. Governor Numu said an association was an effective and efficient medium of delivering basic government services to the remote parts of Eastern Highlands where the majority of the people lived.
He said under his leadership he was encouraging and empowering legally registered associations as mediums to bring about much needed basic developments to the rural communities to improve their livelihoods.
Numu and Ghate collaboratively address a serious social issue encountered by people in the area; their visit was the first for any parliamentarian from the province.
Youths from Ona Keto area have mostly involved in growing large plots of marijuana and supplied the drug in the province and many parts of the country, especially Port Moresby and even overseas too. This trend has been on-going over the years, and the youths have received some bad publicity in recent years.
However, the youths have made a big U-turn from their marijuana lifestyle and have made a bold decision to become productive members of their community.
Through the establishment of Kiropa Kopai Association, the youth are now saying “No to drugs, and yes to rehabilitation.”
Watabung LLG president Beckson Kia told the youths who surrendered that they were the next generation to maintain the community and the decision they made to abandon drug was very important.
Governor Numu was very impressed with the youth’s initiative and told them to be truthful and leave the drug activities completely out of their lives.
The association submitted a proposal for K800,000 worth of projects that they wanted to be actively engaged in. Numu assured the association that the projects would be gradually funded throughout four years. He also clarified that any member of the Ona Keto community initiating a community impact project must go through the association to approach the office of the governor for funding.
The governor presented a cheque for K20,000 to kick start operations of the Kiropo Kopai Association. He said he would work closely with the local MP Ghate to deliver much needed government services to the area.
Ghate commended his local youths for the initiative that they have undertaken, and said he was ready to support them. He said he would sponsor 30 youths from the Ona Keto area to attend a special school which he has arranged.
Ghate and LLG President Kia committed K10,000 and K5,000 respectively to the newly established association.