Since the launching of the Pacific Marine Industrial Zone (PMIZ) the people of Rempi, Kananam, Riwo and Siar have been eagerly waiting and buying news papers every day to see if the promised 30,000 jobs will be advertised soon.
One of the vibrant leaders of Riwo, Hood Kasses, says the landowners are waiting every day to see if the promised 30,000 jobs will be advertised.
Mr Kasses says they will not give up and will wait to see the government promise of jobs come to pass and all the landowners get employed and involved in business development activities.
He says despite the waiting he urges the landowners not to sell their land to outsiders coming in and taking advantage of the PMIZ and wanting to buy land to set up business or settle.
He says “enough is enough and let us take control of our remaining land and develop it’’. Meantime, other landowners who do not want to be named say the promised jobs must be given to locals first before offering jobs to people from other provinces.
He says before the launching of the now RD Tuna Cannery, the government had indulged in the same kind of propaganda, promising the locals that they would be given first preference for s but to this day the promised jobs had not yet been fulfilled.
He says he does not want the same thing to happen with the PMIZ project and urges the landowners to work together to see that the government promises come to pass.
Caption: During the PMIZ launching in Madang