O’Neill commends Engan leaders

Engans march to welcome Prime Minister O'neill in Enga. Getty

Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has commended Engan politicians for a job well done this year.

This was the PM’s sentiment when speaking during a media press conference on Friday about his two-day visit to Enga earlier in the week.

He stated that there were many improvements since he last visited the province earlier in the year and added that talks with the various electorates’ Members revealed even more promising developments in the near future.

He furthered by disseminating examples of the things to come for Enga that he was told of.

In Wabag town, Peter Ipatas dubbed ‘Action Governor’ will soon be delivering several major projects such as a new Enga Teachers’ College, new facilities for the Institute of Business Studies at Irelya and a new hospital at  Pawas, to name a few.

In the Kompiam-Ambum electorate, local MP and Minister for Environment and Conservation John Pundari has invested his District Services Improvement Program (DSIP) funds into building public servants’ houses at Meramanda, upgrading the Kompiam and Ambum roads, partnering with churches to improve schools and health facilities and improving roads.

The PM stated that he was happy and proud that Pundari and Ipatas were leading the way in providing a benchmark for other electorate heads to follow in terms of service delivery to the people.

“I am very happy that John Pundari and Governor Ipatas have decided to work together to develop the province. I know we still have many challenges to improve our infrastructure but this will take time and we are determined to make this happen,” he said.

Mr O’Neill told the media that he had announced to a crowd at Meramanda in Kompiam that the government has allocated K700 million per year to fund its free education policy in 2012 and will continue to do so over the next five years.

He said that in health, K1.4 million has been pumped in, to improved basic health services annually and to support the government’s free health policy till 2017.

 He was reported to have told the crowd that he caome from a very remote district in Ialibu Pangia and that he understood the pain that the Engan people faced.

While in Kompiam, Mr O’Neill officiated at the opening of a new SDA church building at Meramanda. He also witnessed Governor Ipatas handover the responsibility to manage the district’s health facilities and schools, which were formerly run by government, to the church and also witnessed a reconciliation ceremony between Governor Ipatas and Mr Pundari.

PNG Today / Post Courier