PRINCIPAL of Kerema Coronation High School has
urged the provincial government, banks and financial Institutions to immediately
look at ways to restore banking services in the Gulf Province.
Principal Ms Kauri made the call in light of the struggles faced by both teachers and students in accessing money to pay for their school materials and for their travel fares, mostly to the districts like Kikori and the remote parts of the province.
For most hardworking parents who are mainly subsistence farmers, gardening is their only means of cash income and with little or no basic knowledge of EFTPOS or SMS banking services, alternative access to cash has been a major problem for them.
President of one of the Local Level Government wards and a member of the provincial assembly supported the call, raising concerns that the people’s right to freedom of banking services and movement as a result of the closure has put the province back to pre-colonial era.
The only commercial bank BSP was forced to close its door after the millennium robbery incident in which people from outside were involved in the robbery.
The general public and the wider business community in Gulf also raised the same concern, saying that the people have suffered enough as a result of limited access to their bank accounts for shopping and convenience.
During fortnightly pay period, public servants and private company employees have to take time off from work to travel for half a day to Malalaua or spend the entire day to travel to Port Moresby to cash their cheques or use electronic banking services then travel the same distance back to Kerema.
Retail Manager of Post PNG Kerema Hipi Haimano was quick to point out that as a corporate citizen the post office played an important function in the community just like banking, by providing services to the people of PNG.
“Sometimes we close serving customers and we stop SMK when the cash increases and the only way to get rid of cash are through EFTPOS,” said Hipi Haimano.
Next door in the same compound, Telikom provincial manager, Gordon Kilori was critical on the disruption of telecommunication services to the businesses.
“I can’t open my office because of banking, like driving revenue towards the business organisations. The only way for me is to send cheques through Express Mail Service,” Mr Kilori said.
The Telikom service has been down ever since, with the only communication company Digicel providing service in the province.
It is still unclear when BSP services will be restored to Kerema or downgraded to a rural banking service or as an agency.
But the locals are adamant that with the PNG LNG project, there is no time for negotiations as landowners.
Principal Ms Kauri made the call in light of the struggles faced by both teachers and students in accessing money to pay for their school materials and for their travel fares, mostly to the districts like Kikori and the remote parts of the province.
For most hardworking parents who are mainly subsistence farmers, gardening is their only means of cash income and with little or no basic knowledge of EFTPOS or SMS banking services, alternative access to cash has been a major problem for them.
President of one of the Local Level Government wards and a member of the provincial assembly supported the call, raising concerns that the people’s right to freedom of banking services and movement as a result of the closure has put the province back to pre-colonial era.
The only commercial bank BSP was forced to close its door after the millennium robbery incident in which people from outside were involved in the robbery.
The general public and the wider business community in Gulf also raised the same concern, saying that the people have suffered enough as a result of limited access to their bank accounts for shopping and convenience.
During fortnightly pay period, public servants and private company employees have to take time off from work to travel for half a day to Malalaua or spend the entire day to travel to Port Moresby to cash their cheques or use electronic banking services then travel the same distance back to Kerema.
Retail Manager of Post PNG Kerema Hipi Haimano was quick to point out that as a corporate citizen the post office played an important function in the community just like banking, by providing services to the people of PNG.
“Sometimes we close serving customers and we stop SMK when the cash increases and the only way to get rid of cash are through EFTPOS,” said Hipi Haimano.
Next door in the same compound, Telikom provincial manager, Gordon Kilori was critical on the disruption of telecommunication services to the businesses.
“I can’t open my office because of banking, like driving revenue towards the business organisations. The only way for me is to send cheques through Express Mail Service,” Mr Kilori said.
The Telikom service has been down ever since, with the only communication company Digicel providing service in the province.
It is still unclear when BSP services will be restored to Kerema or downgraded to a rural banking service or as an agency.
But the locals are adamant that with the PNG LNG project, there is no time for negotiations as landowners.
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