PM: Prudent management key to improving lives

National, Normal
Source:

The National, Thursday 20th September, 2012

By DULCIE OREKE
PAPUA New Guinea as a nation has not done enough to achieve an acceptable standard of living for its people but Prime Minister Peter O’Neill is confident it can be attained if everybody worked together. All it needed was prudent management of the country’s resources.
Speaking during the flag raising ceremony at the Independence Hill in Port Moresby on Sunday, he said: “As a nation we have done well but not enough to underpin sustained quality education, good health and a marked reduction in our key social and poverty indicators.”
He said throughout PNG, there was overwhelming evidence of a decline of basic services infrastructure such as hospitals, schools and provincial and district administrative centres, as well as roads, airports and seaports.
Law and order management and enforcement was ineffective and inefficient in the face of population growth and fast-paced economic growth.
“We have a great deal to do, especially in working together to delivering expected goods and services for our people and for our nation.
He said the economic, political and social building blocks, his government has begun putting in place would form the foundations upon which the nation will prosper and grow over the coming years.  Growing the nation’s future happiness, health and wealth could be achieved through an educated and healthy population.
“We can repair, renovate and maintain our existing service infrastructures hand-in-hand with construction of new roads, bridges, hospitals and schools by better prudent management and planning of our resources,” he said.