Enga Governor Sir Peter Ipatas

"What transpired yesterday was uncalled for and I sincerely apologise on behalf of my province and its people.

“Companies like City Pharmacy and Brian Bell played a crucial role in our nation-building, they have been supporting charities and have been employing our people for many years.

“Such actions by citizens of this country is uncalled for and I condemn it in the highest order,” Sir Peter said.

He also challenged the people to take ownership of the businesses and companies by protecting them and not destroying them, as they are service providers.

Ipatas said if the government is committed to achieving the objective of 'leaving no child behind,' then it must first invest in teachers.

He made this statement during the first combined graduation of the University of Goroka, Enga Campus and Enga Teachers College in Wabag last month.

“It is about time the national government must invest more in teaching institutes to ensure teachers are trained properly so they pass quality knowledge to our children who are the future leaders of this country,” he said.

An irate Sir Peter Ipatas revealed that 130 seasonal workers from Enga have been reported stranded in Australia following discrepancies with the hiring agency and the expiry of their temporary work visas.

Ipatas said the plight of these workers came to his attention in March this year. He then sought help at LMU as these workers were sent to Australia through the government’s seasonal labour work arrangements.

This remote extravaganza, nestled on the border between Enga and East Sepik provinces, unfolded with a vibrant display of indigenous heritage.

Humbled by the presence of Governor Ipatas and the gathering of attendees from neighbouring villages across Sepik and Enga provinces, Mr Kilanda shared NCC's commitment to bolstering the festival annually.

He declared that this event would soon become a fixture in the national cultural events calendar, underscoring NCC's dedication to returning cultural festivals to the grassroots, fostering a sense of ownership among communities.

The reason behind this is the prioritisation of its human resource.

In 1973, Enga was just a small district of Western Highlands Province. Governor Sir Peter Ipatas never fails to remind his people of this fact.

Forty-seven years down the line and the province is on its way to becoming PNG’s education destination, boasting high-quality infrastructure, state-of-the-art teachers and nursing colleges and highly qualified and properly trained teachers.

Enga Governor Sir Peter Ipatas made this known during a COVID-19 meeting with the provincial management team on Wednesday, April 8^th.

In a statement, the provincial office said the move was fully endorsed by senior public servants, medical practitioners, churches, security forces, heads of national functions and leaders of the community who attended the meeting.

Dr Betty Koka, director of primary health care with the provincial health authority, said buai has contributed to health issues and pollution hence it needs to go.

Sir Ipatas said this during the closing of the Leaders’ Summit in Port Moresby last week.

The Enga Governor was frank, saying this is one of the major causes affecting government service delivery in the country.

He said to truly progress, the Government has to make appointments based on merit.

Meanwhile, Minister for Petroleum, Fabian Pok, has called on provincial governments to appoint provincial administrators based on merit and not on their place of origin.

The mine will review its agreement in 2019, and Governor Sir Peter Ipatas claims there is no urgency by the Mining Department to commence preparations for the review.

The Enga Governor’s call during the grievances debate in Parliament comes after the operator of the mine, Porgera Joint Venture, lodged an application for renewal.

Governor Ipatas said the National Government and Department must not entertain the renewal until they revisit the agreement. 

Enga Governor, Sir Peter Ipatas, revealed this during the ground-breaking ceremony of the upgrading project at Paiam Oval recently.

During the ceremony, Ipatas thanked project sponsors, which include Porgera Joint Venture (PJV) and the Government.

He said with the upgrade, students in Porgera need not attend secondary schools in Wabag or Wapenamanda.

“So people of Porgera, people of Enga, we must know that there is development coming to our area,” said Ipatas.

Members of the coalition parties are abandoning their parties and joining the ruling party Peoples National Congress to form the next government.

One of such parties is the Enga Governor Sir Peter Ipatas’ People’s Party.

Sir Peter relinquished the party leadership to Jiwaka Governor Dr William Tongamp.

In a statement, Sir Peter indicated his intentions to contest under the PNC banner.

He said as a senior Highlands leader, I have an obligation to maintain the successful leadership in Government of Prime Minister Peter O’Neill.