Pastor urges Govt to fund youth projects

 A PENTECOSTAL church pastor in Western Highlands has called on the National Government to fund projects to keep youths occupied.

Pr Elijah Samson Ati of the Inter-denomination churches said youths were the cause of law and order problems in the country, especially violence against women.

“All law and order problems are caused by youths and if they can be changed, the country would change,” he said.

“The Government needs people to drive and implement its polices and complete the mission.

“But how can it work out well when young people are seen roaming around doing nothing and causing problems?”

During the national haus krai (house of mourning), Ati told people at the Queens Park Oval in Mt Hagen that youths should be blamed for most of the violence against women.

He said violence against women, drug smuggling and consuming homebrew, criminal activities, rape, torturing, murder were caused by youths.

He urged the Government to do something to help them change their behaviour.

“As a pastor, I believe in youth development programmes, they are very important,” he said.

Ati said many youths dropped out of school and they did not have the necessary qualifications to find employment.

It is why turned to crime, forcing the Government to waste millions of kina to punish lawbreakers.

“PNG needs its youths to take part in better things. My appeal to the government is to engage them in development activities to help them do away with their bad habits and focus on better things,” Ati said.