Unemployed told to return home

The National Main Stories

By Rebecca Kuku
PRIME Minister James Marape, pictured, is urging unemployed people living in Port Moresby to return to their provinces and earn a living from the land.
Marape said the land was waiting for them to grow copra, coffee and cocoa. He promised that
the Government would help unemployed people return to their villages to join others there
start commercial agricultural ventures.
“The small agriculture businesses will be broken down into three categories:

  • Women and girls;
  • Men and youths; and,
  • the Autonomous Region of Bougainville,” he said.

“Every day, one billion cups of coffee is drunk worldwide.
“We have already met with the president of China (who) is willing to purchase coffee, copra and cocoa grown in the country.”
Marape added that Papua New Guinea would become “Asia’s food
basket”.
“So if you are not doing anything here in Port Moresby, you must return to the village,” he said.
He said the Government would do its part in distributing money fairly in the country.
“We will also make amendments to some of our laws like the Oil and Gas Act and the Forestry Act to bring in more income for the country,” he said.
“Work with district and provincial governments and become businessmen and women.”

37 comments

  • Am with you on this. Thank you PM JM….full support.
    about time youths , etc with out jobs return home and toil the land!!!!

  • Hon. PM Marape, please can we start as of today to send unemployed, unskilled and street vendors who carelessly pollute and spoil PNG’s image in the eyes of potential investors, in urban centers like Port Moresby, back home to be productive in tilting soil in crop farming to become agri-business men and women to ensure PNG achieve real economic independence. We will not become real economic independent if only a faction population is trying to work and produce something while majority become idles, beggars, paper farmers, selling fake & cheap products in streets in Port Moresby or Lae, etc.

  • Yes about time! What the country desperately needed…visionary leadership with predictable and achievable outcomes…hard decision…is what makes change happens…

  • We are encouraging our people to.go into street vending bettle nuts and cigarettes and doing so we are dictating this is the best we can do ignoring our strength and potentials. Effect our Law on people movement and ensure people.return home to farm their land. Lazy people are migrating into town and causing problems.

  • I hope this is not just another political rhetoric. The govt should come up with economic stimulation that should create a push or pull for them to go back home and start somewhere. We cant just send them home.

  • Thank you PM for that approach. Unemployed people in the city are increasing the countries poverty size. Not all here will have a job. If you don’t have a job please make use of yourself and produce back at home. theres alot of richness in our environment which we are being too lazy to develop agriculture to generate income. PM good idea to support the provinces to create sustainability in provinces. it’s now up to the members to make use and not pocket it. Papua New Guinea is a rich country so we don’t want to see beggars on the streets of our towns.

  • PM thanks for your wonderful idea…i think that’s the only idea to change PNG because now a days most unemployed people are roaming around the streets and begg for money and looking for trouble every where so like you’ve said already, i think its best to send them back to their various provinces so that they can become farmers and make money out of their crops that they produce…

  • This is really a brilliant way of doing things. But one thing those employed and who will be responsible in distributing the funds that will be given by the government should firstly take ownership and to be fair to all people.
    This is truly lacking in the workforce… everything starts with those responsible employed people.

  • THis is the way to forward…Excellent PM…
    Take Back PNG…Unemployed really need to go back and work the land and the government MUST help. If thats the way to make PNG the RIchest nation on earth, work the land…We own land in PNG and that means we are all millionaires in 5 years time.

    PM…full support…material your words ASP

  • Full Support Hon PM Marape. Please, not just the unemployed in Port Moresby but also should apply to every other urban center in Papua New Guinea.

  • These people were forced to move to the Capital city to be able to have access to what previous governments failed to deliver to them: basic government services.
    Under your leadership (Mr. Marape) we hope to see these people be encouraged to go back home and work the land to produce for themselves. We have high hopes and optimistic that your policy initiatives outlined here becomes a reality for the benefit of all citizens.

  • Good day,Hon.James Marape, the great blessing leader for Christian Country Papua New Guinea, I’m MARK PEKI an original Papua New Guinean from Madang mixed Enga-Kandep District, however residing in Madang, Usino Bundi District, Usino LLG, Ward 14-Walium District Head Quarter. I’m very much appreciated for move to sending Unemployed from Port Moresby to there home province to promote Agriculture Commercial business to earn their living and boost people moral ways of living and I’m agree with Hon.Prime Minister, so I suggest if our Provincial Governor must also apply same move to send unemployed to their home village to Promote Agriculture, because when the unemployed stay in Towns and Cities they involved in street pickpocket, stealing,street sales and etc… sometimes they died for long suffering of sick and no food. thanks that’s all from me.God will continue to bless guide and protect Papua New Guinea and our God Chosen leader,Hon.James Marape

  • Dear PMJM
    Thanking you for approach you are taking to enable people to be more productive instead of wasting their lives away in cities. There is no problem for people returning to their villages. Many have sought easier lives in towns and cities in search for easier, safer, healthier living. Instead of asking people to leave make villages become more attractive and comparable to life in cities. Make roads, health care, schools, communication, crime situation more better. Money and business is just cream on the cake. Reintroduce the Sorcery Law too or better still legalize it so those doing it in secret can come out. We all know sorcery is real, the Bible speaks against it in the book of Exodus. Our people especially is coastal and Islands provinces are deeply engaged in witchcraft and sorcery and this is a hindrance to townsfolk returning to their homes.

  • PM JM very great talks and you already touching the root cause of the nuisance in all provincial capitals of PNG. Salute you and awaiting the strategy to be implemented down the Provincial, district and further down to the local level government systems.

  • We stand with you PMJM to take back PNG in our respective spaces.Everybody has a part to play.We are blessed with fertile land.Thank you PMJM .

  • This is a brilliant idea, nearly everyone is with you. The other thing our government/Marape government can do on this same note: Send all the Asians back to their country and completely stop them from entering PNG.

  • I think it’s a great idea.sent those unemployed people who roamed around in the city back to their respective provinces.
    crimes will be reduce in the cities like lae and pom.people will forecast on their own land to make money.

  • Fully supportive of this. Land is where the money is and people need to realise this. With you PM JM

  • The better idea in the Government has to start with the people living back in the village, that will motivate the people living in towns and cities to return home. If they can’t return home then enforce the some law to move them by force.

  • Good initiative. On the same token, main the rural roads and complete the missing link road for easy access to market. Having good road access right across the nation will definitely increase agricultural output and cash flow in rural areas. Hence it will minimize rural-urban migration.

  • Its good this government is emphasising on changing resource laws for the benefit the nation and this call too isn’t a mistake.
    But bear in mind a human right to freedom of movement unless you policy makers pass a bill or amend laws to control peoples movement within the country.

  • Hon. James Marape well stated and please you could begin this than it will be better. otherwise, what all you said will not be fulfil as many unemployment people were there for a decade and how would they go back home and start holding bush knives and spade. Its hard so you can find alternate for them to sustain for better living.

    Thank you

  • This should be done immediately, they have work to do back in the village to support themselves so as the country. Instead of roaming around from streets to streets causing problems and painting bad image to our innocent country.

  • Thanks to you honorable PM of Papua New Guinea James Marape, You are doing a good job so all I can give and say is we’ll continue to pray and support your government to be God fearing and lead this country through Christ’s strength so we can see how truely PNG will be taken back on track to success..God Guide and Bless your Leadership.

  • I fully support this idea. There are many things to do back home to earn a living. Sending them back to their respective provinces reduces crime rate and poverty in the city. That’s the way to go.

  • YES PM THAT IS THE WAY TO GO
    THEIR LAND IN THE VILLAGE IS DOING NOTHING, IT IS RICH AND FULL OF POTENTIAL READY FOR HARDWORKING PEOPLE TO WORK ON TO PRODUCE SO MUCH AND MAKE SO MUCH MONEY TO SUSTAIN THEIR LIVES
    GO FOR IT PM
    AM WITH YOU ALL THE WAY

  • PMJM ensure to introduce the ‘VAGRANCY ACT’ to prevent rural – urban migration. Only the people who are supposed to be in the city should be there. Unemployed vagrants are into petty crimes and illegal street vending in order to make ends meet. The attraction to the city lights is also bringing an influx of people from the rural areas into the city, hence adding burden on relatives working in the city. The migration is also fuelling trouble-fights or ethic clashes in the settlements. Finally as the saying goes “SAMTHING BLONG PLES MAS STAP LONG PLES” as they have nothing to contribute in the city.

  • I think this is one of the best strategy that the government should implement it to make Papua New Guinea to become one of world competitive producers of the domestic products that are being produced within the country. The things that are being necessary for the people at the village level to fully participating in the the field of agriculture is to supply them with agricultural tools and chemicals to plow the land and bring their up their produce to meet market demand. The government should look into putting their more effort in boosting the economy by heavily involving its self in agriculture so that those ones unemployed and are living in towns and cities should move back to their various places to involved in agriculture to work and help sustain their livelihood. i think this will put the stop in law and order problems that are being happening frequently one after the other in the country. It will also put an end for people to frequently moving into towns and cities by getting themes involving in agricultural activities.

    • That is the way forward PM, to make people /citizens sweat guts to earn instead of migrating to cities and town causing disharmony and breaking laws for other citizens and businesses. We need to have laws restricting people from fleeing away from their villages or towns and migrating to other places.

  • Well I think that’s the initiative we were waiting for. I agree, however it would be effective if we put it into an act or policy.

  • Thanks Hon. PJM

    Please our youths home…they have the potential to build economy, earn descend living youth centred approach to development will significantly reduced crime rate. with you PM

  • Thanks Mr JP & MP. as for my case here, I surport this message as initiated by you as our current government of the day. This message is clearly transfered to all the settlers who are residing in Port Moresby and also other parts of the Provinces.

  • I don’t want to oppose but to give some idea of the issue.
    people don’t just leave their homes or lands to migrate to cities, there are reasons behind it of which some can be hard to deal with.

    Few of them i know of are;
    – migrate to cities because they are not strong enough to do gardening and help with community issues.
    – some men migrate to cities because they had no land, which would mean they come from a single parent mother who in PNG society don’t have rights to land. (e.g. Like me)
    – Many people migrate to cities to look for business fortunes or a hope for a better way of life.
    – tribal warfare’s or tribal fights and family fights which the losing side migrate to other places like cities for new life leaving the old ones behind.
    – sorcery related disputes which the suspected sorcerer is forced to leave the village and not to come back entirely.
    – Domestic violence where one partner usually the women or children have no choice but to flee to distant places in order to be free of violence.
    – Experience of modern life is one of the reasons young villagers like to see in cities because it is impossible with government services almost not reaching them in their remote villages.
    – some just went to see the city not knowing how to get back and they are trapped into the society for years.

    I think that one might support the idea of sending them back to their community. We have to understand the reasons why they came to the city at the first place.

  • Those willing to return home to their land could be given capital to start them off. They should be monitored on their progress to see if they don’t just misuse any given capital. Sending them home without such support may result in continued struggled for those youths while at home.

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