Villagers stop wharf work

WAGANG villagers in Lae have stopped work on the  multi-million kina Fisheries Wharf Project because of the “interference of paper landowners and unscrupulous provincial government officials”.
Village mediation committee chair­man, Max Mambu said  that things reached a head two weeks ago when the “paper landowners” and provincial government officials went on an all-expenses  week-long trip to Manila, in the Philippines, to check out a similar project without the approval of Morobe Governor Kelly Naru.
They have written to Naru advising him of their reasons for stopping the project designed to serve the multi-million kina Malahang tuna canneries.
In their letter to Naru, they said they had stopped work because:
l The failure of the Morobe provincial government officials to work with them and the Ahi Land Mobilisation Authority;
l Morobe Fisheries Management Authority collaborating with “con landowners”;
l the alleged engagement of a person from neighbouring Yanga village as a Fisheries Management Authority consultant;
l the alleged distribution of seed funding for the wharf project without their knowledge;
l involvement of Yanga villagers;
l signing of an agreement last year without their knowledge, and,
l Their right as true landowners.
The wharf is seen as one of the impact projects of the Morobe government in 2014.
The Wakangbu, Malacbalum and Ong clans in Wagang village met last week and unanimously agreed to stop the project.
“We don’t need the project, we don’t want it,” Mambu said. “We can go register our land and we can look for another project. This is not the last resort. These paper landowners can look for somewhere else for this project.”