No Country for old men

At last, just before I hand all my files over to another department an application comes in for re-zoning the dreaded Gov Store settlement area as residential Land. So the worm has turned and the residents have got together to claim their long held land as their own and qualify for electricity and water supplies,  No longer will they need to face the regular eviction exercises when houses are burnt down and the families have to squat elsewhere until they can get back in and rebuild,  I make a visit to the site, fronting the Wagol river as it enters Binnen Harbour. About 30 or 35 families who came here as much as 50 years ago and including medical staff from the hospital, a teacher, security guards, shop girls are all there. The houses are largely makeshift though some looking very permanent with hedges around their plots and an informal road running the length of the site. There is a small open air church structure on the site of a previous elementary school which like the community hall built by World Vision was demolished in one of the evictions.  The area is very much in two parts, the upper area dry and positively suburban whilst the lower area is frequently waterlogged and when so, is somewhat unhealthy due to the human excrement despite the houses being built on stilts, Attractive to look at nevertheless and with a border to the river of mangroves, hiding long Sepik canoes and toilets.

Sadly the application is from some local business men wanting to build or sell the leases they will get to the richer end of the housing market and the present ‘scum, illegal and foreign (not Madang people) residents will be thrown out once more, this time finally. Unless, that is they are able to claim the state lease that will be on offer following the new zoning – we can dream.  

And so my tenure of office in Madang comes to an end, I have not had the opportunity of training any local staff and the anarchic “build and do what you like” system will return and I have just upset so many developers and builders to no purpose but such is life. I’ve had good time but need now just to lie down in a cool quiet place and recover.