Pay ward development committees

AS the new concept of the ‘bottom-up planning’ has been implemented in the four respective districts of East New Britain, people will now see that development will reach them at the ward levels.
Readers may be wondering what this is.
‘Bottom-up planning’ is a strategy to see development starting at the ward level to the local level, district, provincial and finally to the National Government.
That means the district services improvement programme funds and other funds will be diverted directly to the ward level so that ward members and their ward development committee will use those funds for project implementation in their wards.
The ward development committee, excluding the ward members, have been sweating their guts without pay to bring change since 1975.
They have worked for over 45 years without complaining.
I am appealing to Prime Minister James Marape to put ward development committee members in the government payroll so they are formally recognised as public servants.
This will motivate and encourage them to do more.

Hillary Likius
Rabaul