Manus Governor pledges K500000 for Lombrum Base Infrustructure

The Manus Provincial Government has announced a substantial financial commitment of K500,000 to support the Lombrum Tarangau Naval Base.......

MANUS PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTPOLITICSGOVERNANCE & SOCIETY

6/26/20262 min read

The Manus Provincial Government has announced a substantial financial commitment of K500,000 to support the Lombrum Tarangau Naval Base. The pledge was officially made by the Governor of Manus Province, Hon. Charlie Benjamin. The funding represents a direct effort by the provincial leadership to inject local capital into the base and ensure that the host province actively contributes to the welfare of the PNG Defence Force Personnel stationed there.

The significant financial pledge was made in the presence of the Governor’s Provincial Executive Council (PEC) members, alongside the Commanding Officer of the Lombrum Tarangau Naval Base.

In his address, Governor Benjamin stated that the base's Commanding Officer will have to identify a critical infrastructure project that best meets the immediate needs of the facility in which the money will be spent on.

In the meantime, Governor Benjamin also used the platform to voice his growing frustrations regarding the operational relationship between national and local entities. He expressed deep dissatisfaction over what he described as a severe lack of collaboration between the Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) and the Manus Provincial Government. The Governor pointed out that despite Manus playing host to the strategically vital naval base, communication and partnership between the military leadership and local authorities have remained disappointingly minimal.

Expanding on his concerns, Governor Benjamin noted that while Lombrum has recently been the site of massive, multi-million kina international redevelopment projects, the host province itself receives very little notice or structural assistance. He stressed that a major military footprint should translate to tangible benefits for the province. As the host of the base, the Governor believes that Manus Province should not be kept in the dark regarding developments that ultimately impact the island’s socio-economic landscape.

The Governor ultimately proposed a formalized framework to bridge the gap between the military and the province. Benjamin stated that he wants to see the PNG Defence Force and the Manus Provincial Government enter into a comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This proposed agreement would officially allow the PNGDF personnel at Lombrum to engage directly in local social and economic programs across Manus whilst also seeing International Bilateral Partners such as the United States of America and Australia giving fair assistance into the province