PNG NEEDS BASIC SERVICES - CHIEF OMBUDSMAN

By Frank Rai - Post Courier

Papua New Guinea is crying for basic services in the rural districts but the political leaders are blinded by greed, power, money and cannot deliver services.

These were the comments from the Chief Ombudsman Commission, Mr Chronox Manek during the 39th graduation of Bumayong Secondary School last Thursday. Mr Manek said political leaders should be blamed for denying the rights of Papua New Guineans to basic services, as stipulated in the Constitution.

"Our dignity as human persons is being compromised and denied. We now stand at a crossroad and it is time to change the landscape of governance,"  Mr Manek said.

He said the Government's purchase of big plasma television screens for the Members of Parliament and the K120 million Falcom Jet for the Government was unnecessary and should have been pumped into services that would benefit the bulk of the population.

However, the Chief Ombudsman also challenged the students to become agents of change for a brighter future, adding that PNG would change if people could change their attitudes.