Northern to send one team

Provincial teams are supposed to travel as a team representing one province and not funded by open members representing individual districts or electorates within a province, Northern Governor Gary Juffa said on Friday.
Juffa said politics has threatened to divide Northern (Oro), with local MP David Arore preparing his own team to represent the province of which he (Juffa) is governor and political head.
“While the provincial administration has worked well to prepare a Northern team to represent the province at the PNG Games, the member for Ijivitari has seen fit to prepare his own team outside the legal processes and procedures to send a district team,” Juffa said.
He said preparing and sending teams to the Games were the responsibility of the provincial administration.
“Preparations by the administration are well underway and a PNG Games Team Oro organising committee is in place to oversee (athlete) selections. Any contributions by local MPs are most welcome but must be directed to the provincial organising committee,” Juffa said.
“Politicians should not interfere, patronising to send separate teams using district funds.
“Yet we see the Ijivitari MP and a team of rogue organisers preparing  a team of their own to send.
“It is a misuse of public funds.”
Juffa, who is patron of Team Oro, said in 2014, despite efforts to send one team, the provincial Games organising committee saw fit to send two teams — the official team and a faction funded and sent by Arore.
“As a result, the Arore splinter team caused an embarrassment to the province and incurred a bill of K100,000 which remains unpaid.
“This embarrassing situation was raised by the PNG Games Council,” Juffa said.
“I have contacted the provincial organising committee and told them that only one team will be sent this year.
“We cannot continue to entertain disunity within the province due to the interference of selfish people abusing public funds. This will not be tolerated and measures against this are being put into place,” he said.