By JOE GURINA – Freelancer
AS the country celebrates the 49th independence anniversary, Central Governor Rufina Peter has reminded all citizens of this country that the province has a special place in the hearts of Papua New Guineans.
“As a province, Central province has a special place in the hearts Papua New Guineans, with Port Moresby given to the nation as the nation’s capital city,” Rufina said.
“Our people have been at the forefront of the nation formation and nation-building from the very beginning,” she added.
“Our people involved from the arrival of missionaries on our shores to fight along the Kokoda and Kapakapa trails, they became founding fathers and pioneers of politics of this nation in the likes of Sir John Guise, Sir Mauri Kiki, Sir Ebia Olewale, Dr Rueben Taureka, Gavera Rea and Dame Josephine Abaija.
“Our bureaucratic leaders helped shape the direction of our country in its early development stage.
“They also strengthened the resilience of our communities,’’ the madam Governor said.
She said Central indeed played a pivotal role in the development and progress of Papua New Guinea and it is time now that the province must regain its position of prominence in nation building.
“As we stand together on the threshold of 50 years, it is essential that people of Central province, continue to lead by example.
“The world around us is rapidly changing, and we must be synchronized with these changes.
“We must embrace the opportunities that modernity brings, while holding on to both Christian principles and our values that make us who we are.”
Rufina said the vision of the Peter Wavi Government under her leadership is to see a united, safe, empowered, wise and prosperous Central province.
“The first order of our government is integral human development, with an emphasis placed on holistic development of a person.
“This vision focuses on family units as the basic units of a society to ensure empowerment of the rural households and improve their living standard as entrepreneurship in the renewable resource sectors.”
