Morobe announces 16 new PEC members

By Franco Nebas
SIXTEEN new members of the Morobe Provincial Executive Council (PEC) were announced yesterday by Morobe Governor Kelly Naru.

Kelly Naru, Morobe Governor

Six included Mr Naru were sworn in straight after the announcement made to the media at the Provincial Assembly (Tutumang).

Amongst them was Ahi LLG president Sam Agi whose appointment is for the first time, a recognition by the Government of the Ahi people by allocating them a provincial ministerial portfolio.

Mr Agi was appointed as the Chairman of Human Resource Management.

Governor Naru told a media conference that the appointments of the new re-shuffled PEC members, nine members less than the previous PEC, was pursuant to the power given to him under the Organic law on Provincial and Local Level Government (OLPLLG).

He said the former Governor Luther Wenge had 25 PEC members.

“This was way beyond the legal requirments of section 23 (2) (b) of the OLPLLG, which stipulated that the PEC must comprise of not more than one third of the total number of the Provincial Assembly members,” Mr Naru said.

He said the Morobe Assembly had 47 members; one third would be 15.6 members which would round off to 16 PEC members.

Mr Naru said after considering reports submitted to him by previous PEC members, he had taken into account of each LLG government president’s position in the previous government with a view to a balance and fair representation from the districts and more importantly after receiving advice from his Technical Policy Advisors from the current administration.

“I have streamlined the PEC not only to comply with the requirements of the law but also to fit in and align with (the) management and administrative structure and functions to enable an effective line of communication, and easier implementation and delivery of PEC and tutumang policies and decisions,” he said.

He said with about six months to go before the LLG council elections next year, he trusts the new PEC members would give their utmost best whilst serving in their new portfolios and deliver the much needed services to the people.

“I thanked the previous Governor and his team and want to assure the people of Morobe that not every decision taken by the former regime will be changed for the sake of change,’’ Mr Naru said.

He said good policies such as the Solulu-Gerson Scholarship Scheme would remain but would be modified.