Awesa hits back at infrastructure critics

By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday. November 30, 2014 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG) 

WORKS and Implementation Minister Francis Awesa hit back at critics during the budget debate session on Tuesday following stark criticism from the Opposition in its response to the expensive spending of funds on infrastructure projects in the country given to foreign companies.

Minister reminded MP of the need for such projects and the lack of capacity in local companies carry out the developments that have changed the country’s roads and other infrastructure in the country.

“A lot of us here sitting in parliament have travelled around the world and we have seen the kinds of infrastructure like roads, wharves, and I do not know what kind of lessons we leaders have learnt about that,” Minister Awesa said.

“The cost of infrastructure is huge, and when we come back here we come here with a different understanding and we say that those things are too expensive.”

“We have not learnt a thing about the cost of infrastructure- Papua New Guinea is moving over the last two years.”

He said the unprecedented change in infrastructure in roads into many rural areas have seen change in district roads, provisional roads, and highways.

“Lae city roads have seen concrete roads transform the city, Port Moresby the same- but we are all here blaming one another saying that it is a huge cost, I want to remind us that do we want to go back to the traditional society we have lived in or do we want to move forward as a developing country,” the Minister said.

“We are to get the windfall from the LNG Project and other things and we have to think about progress, we cannot turn back- so if you are talking about big companies that are getting all these contracts. Tell me a national company that is big enough to do these jobs?”

“I think that when we talk about the funding I want to thank the PM, the government, and treasurer for being very supportive of my ministry and I think that with infrastructure development this country will move.”

He added that in the next four years, if sustained spending continues at the same level for 2014- more than 1,000 kilometers will be built at a cost of K3 billion.

“If we continue this funding in the year we will catch up on the deferred maintenance in three years such as the big highways like the highlands highway and some of the other highways will see big changes,” he added.

“We are mindful of the fact that many of these big contracts are going to foreign companies- it is a situation we cannot avoid.”

“I am trying to review this situation where big contractor if cabinet approves next year, we will try to encourage 40 to 50 percent local participation, where national companies will join in with foreign companies.”

Minister Awesa also mentioned a review of the 10 percent requirement to bid for government projects as a issue that the department was serious in reviewing to ensure more participation in to future for locally own companies in the contraction industry.

“We might review the 10 percent deposit bid requirement because it is one of the big issues that hinders national companies trying to participate and this is an issue for our local companies, next year hope to review this situation.”