Women angry over Tiensten’s absence

THE deferral of a historical signing between the Government and the Civil Society Organisation (CSO) on a development partnership caused confusion among stakeholders yesterday in Port Moresby.
They were ready to sign the partnership deal however; an eleventh hour decision by the National Planning and Rural Development postponed the Government-CSO Development Partnership Policy Framework from being initialled.
After waiting for more than an hour for National Planning Minister Paul Tiensten and secretary Joseph Lelang to officially open the summit and deliver the key note address, an officer quietly slipped in to the meeting place to announce that the summit was deferred to next year.
The officer said Mr Tiensten could not make it as he was still in his Pomio electorate while Mr Lelang was attending an urgent meeting.
Expressing their disappointment, National Council of Women president Scola Warai Kakas said; “This is not good enough for a Government department.
“We came here looking forward to this significant occasion with representatives of CSO and NCW from the four regions to sign the agreement.
“How can you (Government) make the services delivery mechanism work from Waigani when the civil societies, the church, the unions and other non-governmental organisations are not becoming development partners?” Ms Kakas asked.
“When you don’t include the CSO and the very people on the ground, all the strategies will fail.”