Member for Wau-Waria Marsh Narewec has told communities in the district that lasting peace and development will only come if families are strengthened and children are sent to school.
In his Christmas message to the people of Wau-Waria, Narewec said the district has faced a very difficult year, with law and order remaining the biggest challenge affecting daily life.
He said crime has not only caused financial losses, but has also taken innocent lives, destroyed homes and stolen hard-earned property from ordinary families.
“Law and order has cost us dearly — not just money, but lives, houses and the belongings our people worked hard for,” Narewec said.
Despite the challenges, he said Wau-Waria recorded several important firsts that brought real change to rural communities.
For the first time, mobile network coverage reached the Biaru area, allowing people to communicate and access emergency services. Roads were also connected for the first time to Tori and Biaru Kasangare villages, while a pilot track road was constructed into Garaina Station.
Narewec also confirmed that the district secured a €9 million (K40 million) European Union grant for the Wau Town Water Supply and Community WaSH Project.
“These are things we should be proud of as a district,” he said. “But law and order problems continue to slow our progress.”
The MP, said the law and order situation did not happen overnight, but is the result of many years of poor parenting, lack of education and the weakening of family life.
“The children of yesterday are now the youths causing the problems we see today,” he said.
He called on parents and leaders to rebuild strong families, saying children must grow up in stable homes.
“A child needs both a father and a mother living together. Marriage is serious and must be respected,” Narewec said.
He also gave a strong message on education, saying every child in Wau-Waria must go to school.
“Education is not optional. It helps children get jobs, understand right and wrong, and keeps them busy during the day instead of getting into trouble,” he said.
MP, Narewec said parents who fail to send their children to school are harming the future of the district.
He ended his message by wishing the people of Wau-Waria a safe and peaceful Christmas and New Year, and urged communities to work together to build a better and safer district.
“If families are strong and children are educated, Wau-Waria will move forward,” he said.
“On behalf of my wife Leonie, our children Maria, Mitine, and Worickec, and our extended family,We wish you all a very Merry, Safe, and Peaceful Christmas, and a prosperous and safe New Year.
God bless Wau Waria District.
God bless Papua New Guinea.”
