A group of six from the province of Merauke in the Papua region of Indonesia were in Madang Province recently on a three-day humanitarian aid visit to deliver twenty tons of rice to the displaced Manam islanders currently living in care centers.
The Governor for Madang province, Ramsey Pariwa, warmly welcomed the delegation on Sunday, April 19 and on the following day hosted them at his office at Sir Bato Bultin Provincial Government office where a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed to formalize the arrangement.
The delegation’s team leader and spokesperson, Ibu Susie Waingal expressed their willingness to cooperate with Madang in a sister-province relationship or cooperation.
Governor Pariwa in turn acknowledged and thanked the delegation for continuing the relations with Madang province. This is a relationship, which was initiated formally during the governance under former Governor for Madang Jim Kas, which later was continued by also former governor, Peter Yama.
The governor thanked the Papua Province for its kindness and generosity in considering the plight of the displaced Manam islanders who are currently living at care centres in Bogia and Sumkar districts by committing twenty tons of rice to sustain the food security of the people at the care centres.
Pariwa expressed sadness that it has taken the government of PNG a long time to consider the plight of the Manam people in their relocation to a suitable permanent resettlement site.
He added that the gesture by a foreign government to provide humanitarian assistance to the Manam islanders greatly challenges and questions the PNG government’s capability and genuineness in addressing the plight of its internally displaced people.
Pariwa said he does not consider the place which the Manam islanders live in today in Bogia and Sumkar districts as care centers anymore but merely ‘settlements’ because successive governments had neglected the plight of his people of Manam.