FORMER PRIME MINISTER, and current New Ireland Governor and MP, Sir Julius Chan, has responded to secession calls from provincial leaders by saying the region has not improved in 15 years.

“Why are our roads, airstrips, aid posts, elementary, primary and high schools collapsing and people are facing all kinds of social problems,” he said.

Sir Julius claimed K572 million was misappropriated under the Somare government from 2002-07.

“New Ireland must move faster to gain the highest form of autonomy, no less than Bougainville,” he said.

Sir Julius alleged the government headed by Somare could not be trusted. “Bad government leads to fragmentation and it brings distrust, disharmony and split.

“The governance, corruption and violation of our laws continue... It’s time we chart our own course for a safer future for New Ireland.

“With the gold mines, New Ireland can survive and stand alone,” Sir Julius claimed.

In a separate report it has been claimed that PNG’s maternal mortality rate remains high and shows no signs of decreasing. In the ten years to 2006, it increased from two to four women dying during childbirth each day.

Meanwhile, successive PNG governments have been making national economic decisions based on a consumer price index that has not been adjusted since independence in 1975.

Statistician Joe Aka revealed that for the last 35 years every decision on household economy, national productivity and economic activity was based on outdated statistics and assumptions.

Mr Aka said the long overdue survey was due to the government’s failure to fund the National Statistics Office to collect the necessary information.

Sources: ‘Sir Julius responds to autonomy demands’ by Grace Tiden [Post-Courier], ‘Mortality rate high in PNG’ by Nellie Setepano [Post-Courier], ‘Statistician says CPI 34 years old’ by Patrick Talu [The National]