Remote district gets a glimmer of hope

COVER STORY

By JAMES G KILA
SEVERAL thousands of Kina worth of dried coffee parchment were poured out on to the ground and arranged neatly as a carpet for Prime Minister James Marape and his entourage to walk on at Sangapi station in the remote Kovon local level Government area of Madang’s Middle Ramu district.
The gesture displayed by this remote people of Sangapi last Thursday, May 23 illustrates the acute hardships faced by rural farmers to bring out their exportable produce to the market mainly due to their remoteness compounded with nil road connectivity to this far-flung and often referred to as ‘back-page’ of Madang province.
Sangapi station is the furthest in Middle-Ramu, one of two least developed districts in Madang province apart from Rai Coast.
I had a rare privileged to accompany Madang Governor Ramsey Pariwa to witness the official launching of the Middle-Ramu District Five Year Development Plan 2023-2027.
We boarded the helicopter in Madang which took us approximately an hour to reach Sangapi passing other rural government stations in this geographically disadvantaged district including Aiome, Simbai and Dusin and countless scattered hamlets.

Sangapi shares provincial boundaries with Kompiam-Ambum in Enga, Mul-Baiyer in Western Highlands, Jiwaka and the upper reaches of East Sepik. It is cooler towards the mid-afternoon and is certainly an ideal getaway from the hustle and bustle of the urban setting.
Just flying across the massive landmass with lush greenery with the meandering Ramu river below anyone could attest that Middle-Ramu offers massive strategic economic potentials. It has fertile valleys and plains for massive agriculture projects, vast river systems for water supply and hydro projects, aquatic and inland fishery projects, large rain forests for carbon trade and eco-tourism and the list goes on.
The local member for Middle Ramu, Kansol Harwai Kamdaru was already at Sangapi airstrip to welcome the chopper and expressed joy and gladness upon receiving Madang Governor Pariwa on his turf. He willingly agreed to show the young Madang governor around Sangapi station, which despite its remoteness is nicely kept with lawn at the airstrip. Adjacent to it is the Sangapi health centre which is run by the Nazarene Church.
Kamdaru explained the Middle Ramu Five Year Development Plan is a well-defined and articulated document that should take the district into the next five years and beyond.
“The plan is our stepping stone and provides immense opportunity for our socio-economic transformation in line with the National Government Medium Term Development Strategy aligning with
“I am grateful to the Marape-Rosso government for their recognition of my district and designating it a special economic zone focusing on large scale farming and inland fish farms. Covered under the Middle-Ramu Five Year Development Plan is also the Madang-Baiyer missing link road project which is our dream to link Middle-Ramu to whole of Madang, Highlands region and Momase.
“This project alone will kick-start our economy and alleviate poverty in some of the most part of Middle-Ramu district,” Kamdaru stated.
Prime Minister Marape and the Minister for Works and Highways, Solan Mirisim arrived an hour later by helicopter from Mt Hagen and were greeted with a rousing welcome with a big number of traditional dancers who colourful head dresses and bird feathers.
A proud Kamdaru told the visitors that the launching of the plan was a historic milestone for the people of Middle-Ramu and a first for a district that is least developed and accessible only by a costly air transportation.
“Our guests can see that we have a lot of run-down service facilities, and because the district is so remote, we have twenty airstrips that requires immediate maintenance resulting in the closure of fifty per cent of those airstrips,
“Imagine if we have a sick or pregnant mother that needs immediate medevac and the airstrip is not in a condition to land a helicopter or a plane,”
“Using outboard motor or using mechanized engines on dugout canoes is even more expensive and although we have a lot of resources and agriculture produces for sale our market points are beyond reach of the average farmer,
“Now that we have a road map, we want to fully implement a long list of projects which will cost K654 million to transform Middle Ramu district so that we can keep pace with the rest of Papua New Guinea,
“I am indebted to the hard working team of my electorate, the Middle Ramu District Development Authority Board and the Marape-Rosso government, and the message is: ‘Work has only started and a lot more is expected of us”.
“Honorable prime minister you’re seen for yourself the hardships and hash environment though rich, we need injection of much need funds to complete the Madang-Baiyer missing link road, upgrade our service facilities as a long list of projects over in the five-year development plan.
The prime minister was emotional when addressing the people after speeches were delivered by the community leaders, the Middle-Ramu MP and Governor Pariwa.
Prime Minister Marape thanked both MP Kamdaru and Madang province Governor Pariwa for contributing K18 million to begin the work on the Madang-Baiyer missing link road project.
“Instead of waiting for the National Government and foreign donors what you have displayed in contributing K18 million for the Madang -Baiyer road shows you have heart for your people,” Mr. Marape said.
He assured that the National Government upon seeing that both the district and the provincial government had gone ahead to put up funding it would contribute another K18 million to support the Madang-Baiyer missing link road project on a Kina to Kina basis.
The PM also announced a K7 million to the public servants working in the remote government stations in Middle-Ramu as hardship assistance, and encouraged that it be shared fairly.
He also announced a K10 million to assist the district identify land in the areas along the Ramu river and the hinterlands where
Kamdaru concluded his address stating that he will keep his constituents informed of progress made and be held accountable for project funds received and disbursed within the district through regular publication of a district newsletter which was also launched at Sangapi.
Kamdaru explained that the Middle Ramu Newsletter was one of his project to deliver factual information to the masses in the electorate.
“In the last few months we did some work but again, the remoteness and lack of communication have left a lot of people wondering what is actually happening in the Middle Ramu electorate. To find out, please grab a copy of our official newsletter and see for yourself that we are doing with your money,” Kamdaru stated.

• James Kila works as a press officer with the Madang Governor’s Office