Poetic welcome for PM

SHELOUNA Purumus’ voice started off soft and nervous but steadied as she read her short poem of a child’s dream for education, of a parent’s struggle to see the child educated and of the sheer relief every student felt today to see dream realised and struggle ended.
Shelouna, a Grade 11 student at Benabena Secondary School, spoke before a huge crowd who gathered at the National Park in Goroka to welcome Prime Minister Peter O’Neill and his delegates for the People’s National Congress convention there.
It had an election campaign pitch to it but the underlying message in the poem bespoke a very real and universally experienced condition.
The people cheered when Shelouna finished off with: “You have taken a huge burden off our parents; please, please don’t stop now; we will tell our parents to vote you and your government now and into the future.”
Shelouna, from Komiuga village outside Goroka, was not alone is her sentiments.
The man who introduced her, Kopi Manove, a local leader said: “You have been in office seven months but we applaud your policies.
“We applaud you for allocating K130 million to the National Development Bank for the little businessman.
“We applaud you for Operation Sweep to get rid of all the stilman (thieves).”