Voting for Hickey a huge mistake for Bogia
The National, Monday March 3rd, 2014
I COMMEND and fully support the president of Iabu and Yawar LLG in criticising John Hickey for not delivering any basic services to the people of Bogia since being elected into parliament.
Our people have made a catastrophic mistake in voting for him and must now suffer the consequences until 2017.
Hopefully, we will realise our mistake and vote for a true, local leader in 2017 to represent us and to deliver the services we have been starving for.
Bogia district infrastructure has totally collapsed; law and order is not maintained, inland roads have deteriorated and are inaccessible, Manam people are suffering at care centres, government and social services cannot reach villages on the mainland and Manam Island, the public service machinery has stopped functioning and Bogia town is dead with no physical evidence of social infrastructure, town amenities, water, electricity or the presence of a town authority.
The Bogia coconut syndrome and cocoa pod borer disease have destroyed our people’s only source of cash income from cocoa and copra.
Hickey has done nothing to eradicate this and has turned a blind eye, prolonging the people’s financial suffering.
Hickey is arrogant, stubborn and does not take the time to listen to the people’s plea for help.
He does not have an office in Bogia and does not even live in the district.
I urge the prime minister to listen to the people and immediately institute an investigation on the conduct and disbursement of Bogia’s DSIP funds and treasury operating bank accounts.
To prove that he has nothing to hide, Hickey must report on the acquittals of funds he has spent to develop Bogia in the past 15 years.
He went to Madang and made headlines by criticising the provincial administration of Ben Lange and our provincial government, disguising as a Public Accounts Committee chairman.
He thinks that he is above the Madang administration and Governor Jim Kas, who is the leader of our people and the only outspoken Madang politician who is trying his best to deliver to his people even though the national government has not supported his ambition to transform the province.
He has nothing to show for all the grants.
Mambu Saksak, Via email