Soso criticises services

 By ZACHERY PER

EASTERN Highlands Governor Julie Soso has criticised the fragile and uncertain public service machinery in the provincial administration.

She challenged public servants to be positive, cooperative and work harder to take the province forward. 

Soso, while conceding that the public service machinery in the province was ineffective because most senior positions were on acting appointments, said public servants could still deliver government services.

The provincial administrator’s position is held in an acting capacity by its most senior kiap Bill Kavanamur.

Soso said the process of appointing a permanent administrator was underway. 

She said Inter-Government Relations Minister Leo Dion and the Personnel Management Department secretary John Kali would assist in restructuring the public service machinery in the province.

In the meantime, she expected every public servant in the province to work hard in delivering services worth about K24 million held in the provincial government’s account in Goroka.

Soso said she had only three months left to roll out her programme using that K24 million. An additional K24 million was yet to be received from the Government.

“MPs like myself are only politicians. It is the public service machinery that will do the work,” she said.

“I don’t expect complacencies under my leadership. They must perform to deliver services.”

She also announced the province’s plans to purchase a portion of land in Madang for agricultural business activities to sustain the provincial government coffers.

She said apart from coffee, the province’s main agricultural commodity, there were other income-generating opportunities in Madang.