Supporting SME sector

Letters

IN Prime Minister James Marape’s maiden speech, he said his new government aims to grow the economic base by giving life to the SME sector.
His speech of growing the economy is in the right direction for any growing country to become fully economically independent is by growing her domestic cash flow.
In light of that we see the potential in James Marape’s leadership.
If his government is truly serious about growing the economy than his government should change the direction from infrastructure and invest heavily in the SME sector.
In 2016, the previous government officially launched the SME master plan.
One of the government agencies which was ready to roll out the SME programme was the National Development Bank Ltd. One such good programme was the Stret Pasin Store Scheme rolled out by NDB Ltd.
In 2012, 5,400 applications applied throughout the country and in 2014 only 10 successful candidates were selected and approved for funding on a merit by NDB investment limited, a subsidiary of NDB.
The NDB board and management are smart because this is a good and worthy programme for the people of PNG.
Almost every retail shop in the country is run by foreigners and they are even going into our villages and operating kai bars, retail shops, leaving hardly anything for our people. In the early 1970s to the late 1980s the Stret Pasin store scheme had made many Papua New Guineans millionaires.
Prime Minister, we admire your style of leadership. You have a handful of smart intelligent leaders such as Richard Maru, Wera Mori, Charles Abel, Sasindran Muthuvel and a few more with you in government to adequately fund NDB so that NDB can roll out its Stret Pasin Incubation Programme.
We the 5,000 plus applicants are ever ready to apply again.
You have a stable and God fearing Government for the people.

Michael Koi
Mt Hagen,Via email