Tiensten’s claims on Pomio rather inaccurate

 THIS is about the article on Pomio being transformed from a back-page district by using so-called economic enforcers in the telecommunications and transport sectors. 

Paul Tiensten claimed he would help Digicel  construct  a  transmission  tower with K500,000.

The record needs to be straightened out here and future media correspondence with Tiensten verified with appropriate government agencies as the development  rate  in Pomio  is at  a snail’s pace, or possibly slower. 

Tropic Air was given a K100,000 subsidy so that airfares could be made affordable to the ordinary people, but to date, fares have not dropped. 

Where has that subsidy gone or was this another smoke screen tactic to divert money elsewhere? 

Digicel  is  a  private international telecommunication company and the government has opened its arms  to  let  this  firm  tap  into the PNG market. 

Why do we support these private businesses (instead  of local businesses) to set up infrastructure then allow them to monopolise the market and make millions  out of our   money? 

Tiensten needs to take a step back and look at all those promises he cooked up  to  win the  people’s vote 15 years ago. 

The people in Uvol are still waiting for their jetty; our Mamusi people still have logistical nightmares moving their coffee to Kokopo; people around West and Central Inland Pomio continue to risk their lives travelling on banana boats to Kokopo; remote schools in East Pomio  still have infrastructure made out of bush material and our brothers and  sisters in Sinivit seem to be forever forgotten. 

Our   public  service   is not performing up to expectations  with  no directive from above on how the district should function. 

So much money has been wasted on projects like  the  Tol  Growth Centre  and on things like tractors, vehicles, iron  roofing, water tanks and outboard motor handouts, which are just ridiculous. 

Journalists need to learn investigative  journalism  to  get a clear indication of the reality of  Pomio. 

There are always three sides to any story – theirs, yours and the truth. 

Ignatius Papenga, Via email