Enga hosted double celebrations over the weekend.
The province commemorated PNG’s 48th Independence Anniversary as well as celebrated the EPG Enga Mioks’ victory in the provincial capital of Wabag on Friday, September 15th.
The event started with a motorcade from Wapenamanda to Wabag, covering over 40 kilometres and led by Enga Provincial Administrator, Sandis Tsaka, on his motorbike.
Governor Sir Peter Ipatas joined on his motorcycle, to the excitement of more than 10,000 people who attended the event.
Supporters, including 50 Mioks players and officials in the full team colours of black and green, chanted their slogan, ‘Enga Mioks-Yanda Kai’, meaning, support Enga Mioks, give up tribal fighting.
They were also singing to the tune of the DJ masters in hired trucks as they moved, undisturbed, through the tribal fighting zones between Pompabus and Birip.
The motorcade soon increased with hundreds of students, Mioks fans and the public in Wabag town as they headed to the Aipus rugby league field.
Popular local musicians; Macdonald Teller, Augustine Emil, veteran Pat Siwi and local musicians were on hand to welcome the motorcade with their hit songs, starting the program with the theme ‘Celebrating Independence Day and Mioks’ success to advocate for peace and reconciliation in the province’.
Minister for Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, Sports and Kandep MP, Don Polye, urged people in the tribal fighting zones to stop killing each other and move on with changes that are taking place in the world.
Polye, who has been travelling to the trouble zones in Middle Lai to urge fighters to lay down arms, said no one wins in wars as all parties become victims in the end.
He also congratulated the Enga Mioks for setting an unprecedented record by remaining undefeated in the competition to win the ExxonMobil-Digicel Cup. This was in light of speculation that the province was getting out of hand with tribal fighting.
The music, dancing and singing continued as Polye conveyed the message to those in the fighting zones that not all Engans are fighting as more than 90 percent of the population are going about with normal life.
This was after Polye was given the honour to present trophies to the Mioks players and officials.