Minister for Defence and Member for Nipa Kutubu Dr. Billy Joseph today has strongly condemned the disrespectful behaviour of a rowdy crowd in Mendi town when Governor of Southern Highlands Province Hon. William Powi was speaking during the presentation of new provincial government vehicles on Wednesday 16 October 2024.
“It is very disappointing of the people of Mendi town to shut at elected leaders like the Governor while he was in the process of restoring the public service in Mendi with the delivery of new vehicles to support the work of the divisional heads of the Provincial Government,” Dr. Billy said.
The Governor was together with the Vice Minister for State Enterprise and local Member for Mendi-Munhiu Hon. Raphael Tonpi when addressing the crowd in Mendi town.
“As an elected leader from the province, I condemn the disgusting behaviour of the people of Mendi. The way our leaders were received while going there to perform their constitutionally mandated duties of providing service to their people is unacceptable,” Minister Joseph said.
The Minister said the people of Nipa Kutubu hosts the Governor seat and continues to be disrespected in Mendi town while we ensure the bulk of the projects funded under Kutubu Development Levies and the National Government’s Connect PNG Program are given to men living within the vicinities of the Mendi township.
In order to maximise service delivery to the people of SHP, Minister Joseph urged the Provincial Government to consider using the Kutubu IDG and Development Levies to build outer townships and business hubs in Nipa, Pimaga, Walum, Kagua, Munhiu, Erave, Ialibu and Pangia as alternative venues for our people to access government services and conduct their daily business.
“We can not continue to hold our people at ransom in terms of service delivery caused by some political opportunists. We have abandoned and lost Mendi town, which is the provincial capital and business hub. Let’s stop playing politics at the expense of the sufferings of our people and clean Mendi town up.
I call upon all businessmen and the leaders of villages surrounding Mendi town, especially the Undiri and Kambiri leadership to take control of the youths and politically motivated group in Mendi town if they want Mendi town to be a service center and business hub for Southern Highlands Province. They must help the provincial government to restore order and normalcy to the township. Mendi town does not belong to druggies and gangs to be used by our political opponents to disrespect our elected leaders and sabotage delivery of government services,” Dr. Billy said.
With the current state of affairs in the provincial capital in Mendi town, no government can sit and deliver services in this kind of environment. The NEC has approved the Domestic Terrorism Bill 2024 this week and is intended to fix some of the law and order enforcement problems in SHP. This will coincide with the Minister’s drive to establish the Defence forwarding base HQ in Mendi.
