FORGET ABOUT NATIONS CAPITAL, OUR PEOPLE ARE DYING ALONG THE ECONOMIC HIGHWAYS

The nasty road accident that claimed 13 lives in Oro Province is a clear indication of the government's neglect to fix and expand road and bridge infrastructures in provinces. While millions of kina are squandered through inflated projects to develop the Nation's Capital, economic roads in outer provinces are left to deteriorate.

From what I learnt is that the road section where the accident happened was not in a bad condition, but it was too narrow to negotiate corners.

The local communities have to be blamed as well. Our people must be educated to appreciate and look after infrastructures that are linking their communities. Thick bushes, trees and shrubs next to the road must be cleared off. The National Roads Authority must be on their toes to set up traffic signboards and lane markers to indicate where sharp bends or bridges are.

It is unnecessary to lose lives on the highway where we are expecting vehicles to travel at high speed but with extreme caution. Some white elephants are not doing their job.

The Kokoda Highway is an economic road for betel nut and oil palm traders. It’s is the lifeline for the small people who don’t find services accessible to them in the village.

My appeal is to Gary Juffa, David Arore and Delilah Gore to stand together and build a wider highway for the people of Oro. I believe both Gore and Arore are in the government and will be in good positions to convince our Works Minister and Prime Minister. 

A boat ride across to neighboring Morobe, the economic roads from Lower-Watut (where the best cocoa beans come from) to the mountains of Menyamya (where the best coffee grows), accessibility is becoming a paramount concern for the locals.

The Highlands Highway is deteriorating along the Markham Valley. Rivers have subsided their course and plunging into the villages and onto the main road.

While maintenance may cost the National works Department millions of kina, the loss of business and economic activities that uses the highway is massive.

At Chimbu, the landslip has left people, goods and services stranded at both sides of the highway. Several years back, there were calls made transport owners and the travelling public for the highway to be rehabilitated.

The National Roads Authority has again gone into slumber leaving the road to continuously face the onslaught of nature. The landslide is no mistake, as the roads have been weathered for a good number of years without maintenance and upgrade.

Now we have coffee bags and fresh agriculture produces now stranded and rotting away at this damaged section of the highway in Wandi, Chimbu province.

Yet our policy makers don’t care about it. They might be driving in comfort at the Kumul Flyover or taking a boat trip at the yacht club and their children racing along the four lanes of NCD.

Who cares about rural economic roads? Port Moresby is hosting APEC leaders in 2018 and all we care about is painting a cunning picture for the investors. Telling them all is well in PNG. But expect the unexpected Mr Donald Trump when you come to our shores, Port Moresby is developing ten to times than the rest of PNG.

Enough is enough; we want an administration that will shift the focus from developing NCD to upgrading and changing the other 21 provinces of our beloved mama graun.