Sir Julius describes public service as house divided

 NEW Ireland Governor Sir Julius Chan has described the provincial public service as a house divided.

He said during the province’s public servants day that while appreciating their efforts in developing New Ireland over the years, it was sad to note that there was an obvious division among them which was a stumbling block to service delivery.

“Though the road has been hard, we have taken great strides forward,” he said. 

“We are hearing the voices of the people to plan and implement programmes that meet their needs so we have laid the foundations for real progress. Yet we continue to have serious problems.”

Sir Julius said programmes which were running smoothly in the province were for the aged and disabled, the roof over heads policy, agriculture sweat equity grant, roads and bridges and the Buluminski highway and west coast roads.

He said communication with the villages, wards and local level governments had also significantly improved.

“I want to be brutally honest. We, the people of New Ireland, deserve nothing less than complete honesty and complete truth.  And what is the truth? The truth is that the New Ireland public service is a house divided, although we have achieved some outstanding results,” he said.

He said there were hardworking people in the public service who put in an honest day’s work trying to make New Ireland a better place. 

But there was still a great need for all public servants to be seriously dedicated and committed to their work as public servants.

“There is nothing that angers a lazy man, a selfish man more than a hardworking man, a man with honour. So what is the reward of those public servants who work hard?  Their reward is jealousy, anger, attack. 

“These attacks come from the very people who should be working themselves, but who do no work, except that which benefits themselves,” he said.

Sir Julius said the public service in the province was divided between the honest and the dishonest.