PM should apologise for delaying project

I WOULD like to respond to Prime Minister James Marape.
I have nothing to apologise for, and, instead, I thank Marape and welcome an additional allocation of K50 million by the Government for rehabilitation works on the Lae to Bulolo-Wau national highway on top of the already approved and available Australian government funding of K66 million on behalf of the people of Bulolo, Huon Gulf and Menyamya.
I have nothing against our good prime minister and his government and was only trying to pressure them, through the print media, to release the K66 million given by Australia for maintenance of the deteriorating of Lae to Bulolo-Wau national highway.
Our good prime minister has seen fit and accused me on social media, as well as in yesterday’s The National (Pg16), that I was lying to the media and giving misleading information and making unfounded allegations which is unacceptable.
Have I lied about the K66 million AusAID project funds for the rehabilitation of Bulolo-Wau national highway?
In fact, it is the prime minister who needs to apologise to the people of Bulolo, Menyamya and Huon Gulf for the delay and holding back the K66 million rehabilitation road maintenance from AusAID.
I am not talking about the recent K50 million allocation from the National Government.
Marape and the NEC should have allowed that money to be
released and work to be carried out and if further funds were needed then they could top
up the K50 million he is talking about.
His Government deliberately held back the K66 million AusAID funds until I pressured them and now he is accusing me and others of giving misleading information which I totally deny.
Any prime minister should just welcome and accept public criticism and move on instead of politically depending himself and his Government.
This criticism would not come about if he had come out earlier and inform us of the Government’s reasons for the delays.
As a former politician and member for Bulolo-Wau, I cannot sit back and allow both the National and Morobe governments and political and party leaders to play party politics and deny the people of Bulolo, Huon Gulf and Menyamya the service and development they need.
Bulolo hosts two of the country’s largest mining development projects (Hidden Valley/Hamata and Wafi Golpu) as well as Zenag Chicken Farm, PNG Forest Products and more and that is why we want some attention and I am very satisfied now with the prime minister’s and the Government’s response.

Samson C Napo
Former Bulolo MP