September 16, 2010 in Biaru

By SAM BASIL

Bulolo MP

Tracking up Biaru River into Wisini

I always make sure that every independence anniversary, I always make time available to spend with the very remote villages in my district, just to remind them that I do care for them and also remind them that they do have a government and a country to celebrate for.

I always say that ‘what have we to celebrate after seeing all the corruption riddled with bad governance in Waigani while the remote areas suffer’?

 No good roads, not enough medicine, no doctors and other declining factors that we all know of.

But regardless of all these, we do have a country to celebrate for and hope together we all can transform this country one day with the improved export earnings we are currently experiencing, especially when the LNG project gets off the ground and good governance.

Let me say thank you again to Morobe Mining Joint Ventures (MMJV) through their community affairs manager, Stanley Komunt, for helping out with the chopper from Wau into Wisini, Biaru.

I took the road back for two reasons: To allow a very sick man to fly back into Wau in my place and  for me to inspect the bad sections of the road while also catching up on the agricultural disbursement programmes in the Biangai Villages.

Biaru also connects Kasangare / Sim, the first local level government wards of Waria LLG, which connects Morobe province to Central province.

 This particular route is proposed for the Trans-Island Highway to link Papua and New Guinea which we all hope will come to fruition one day.

The independence celebrations took place as soon as we landed with a singsing group leading the VIPs onto the grandstand, which will be used later on as the official football grandstand.

Singsing group ready to start the event

 I was invited by Steven Wata, who is a local businessman in Lae who owns Rewind Motors, which employs locals and has captured some big customers including MMJV mine jobs or its contractors who uses large electric motors.

Wata also engages in coffee buying in Biaru and competes with other local businesses, including outside businessmen from Lae, to buy coffee from the locals by sending their Land Cruisers into the villages to buy coffee parchment.

Steven Wata, a local business man and sponsor of Steven's Cup - the Biaru Independence Cup - which has been going on for four years now

 The trips into Biaru often run empty, which provides an opportunity for trade store operators to hire their vehicles into the villages.

Biaru people basically earn their living through coffee, apart from other cash crops they produce and sell in Wau like tobacco and others.

Steven Wata behind the coffee tree stressing that coffee is the only cash crop bringing money into Biaru, which depends heavily on road transport

 That is why we have brought along eight coffee pulpers and eight sewing machines (for women’s groups) for the eight villages of Biaru valley.

Speeches were made while we interacted with the locals, many of them have voicing their concerns about the Wau-Biaru road conditions.

I told the people that the joint district planning and budget priorities committee (JDP&BPC) has made a D5 dozer available,  which is down at the moment in Kaisinic village after making few entries into Wara Kawar and back into Biangai.

The machine is now awaiting repairs in Kaisinic for its tracks.

 The machine was also backed up with a new Land Cruiser to the LLG president John Yawa to provide logistical support.

Yawa arrived a few minutes later and took the heat from the people, and also agreed for me to organise another bigger machine.

We encountered bad sections of the road, which gave me a clearer picture of how to reorganise the road programme because it is just too far, therefore, an urgent self-sustaining programme must be put into place as soon as possible.

The programme ended after the items were handed out.

Steven Wata, the tournament organiser who has sponsored this Independence Cup for over four years now, asked the district to provide the trophies and we did under my district support grant (DSG) non-discretion funds.

The 2009 champion, K-United, briefly displayed their shield which they won last year followed by speeches, then a kick-off.

Wata drilled the ball past Yawa, who passed on to me for a strike.

 I kicked the ball with all my might!

 The ball slightly missed the goal post to the left side, for which I blamed the safety boot which I wore that day!

 Anyway, it was great!

Kick-off time!

We then proceeded to the bow and arrow competition which Tony McCarrets of NBC Morobe, Rigo Nangan of The National and I took part in.

I got close but one villager got the bull’s eye and won the live chicken for dinner.

We cooled off at the nearby creek, which mind you, was very cold!

 I shivered for a while but recovered after warming up.

 We had a wonderful dinner while I made time available for villagers who wanted to discuss any matters at.

Many issues were raised by individuals that evening regarding national politics like why the prime minister threatened to kill me, why some opposition MPs moved into government and many others.

It was getting late and the villagers were beginning to retire for the night.

I must admit that we were lucky to have Rigo Nangan, The National reporter, also a musician who used to be a lead singer/guitarist in the early gospel group called Rock of Ages.

He borrowed an old guitar from the locals and beat some old favorites under the moonlight.

 Eagles, Dr Hook, CCR were some of our old time favourites Rigo played that night.

I spend the night in the guest house living room while Tony McCarrets shared the room with Father Ezron and others.

 I could tell the next morning by seeing Tony’s red eyes that he didn’t have a good night’s rest.

We forgot to remind him of the Papa Ezron’s snoring skills.

This was my second trip into Biaru.

The last time I was there was to erect a VSAT system in the school and the people there have been benefiting from this communication project ever since last December.

It is now time for me to improve their road system to connect Sim in Waria and Wau Urban because it is their lifeline.

The JDP& BPC will invest almost K2 million for their road system with a new 20 tonne dozer with all operational expenses and logistical support paid for in advance and let the programme roll out.

We took the road that morning of September 17, 2010 driving and pushed our way through the bad sections of the road into Biangai, starting off in Elauru.

This worst section has prompted Bulolo MP Sam Basil to put a rescue package of K1.2m to station a permanent 20 tonne dozer with crew and operational expenses for the next 24 months under the Trans Island Highway programme

We stopped briefly in Kaisinic village to visit the D5 machine and were treated with an early dinner treat of creamed taro and kaukau from Yawa’s mother.

While heading into Wau, we heard the helicopter above us heading into Wau from Biaru with Papa Ezron, Ms Pokana, the sick patient and bags.

We later caught up with then and had a brief meeting with Gibson and his missus at Big Bean Estate.

We then drove into Bulolo and went straight for the planned meeting with the displaced Sepik settlers.

We finished at about 9pm and headed for Mumeng.

While driving back I recalled last year’s Independence Day.

 I spent the day in Middle Watut - Gwasak Primary School, where I helped Steven Clay from Telikom’s VSAT department dig a pit to erect the satellite dish post.

I am now wondering which remote area I should spend the 2011 Independence Day.

Well maybe I can make that decision sometimes early next year but I will still choose a very remote location to be with.