Papua New Guinea Business Council President, Susil Nelson-Kongoi says there should not be a repeat of the 10 January civil unrest in Port Moresby and around the country.
She told the Prime Minister’s back-to-business breakfast in Port Moresby that affected businesses were still waiting for the Government to provide relief as requested.
Losses are estimated to be between K775 million-K$800 million (US$201 million-US$213 million) from stock loss, property and asset destruction, redundancy of workers, and the effect on farming trade beyond Port Moresby.
Businesses said the loss of jobs needed to be addressed and considered a significant matter in the Government’s relief package.
According to a letter by peak business bodies to the State, addressing law and order was key to restoring business confidence.
“The need to address law and order is multi-faceted and needs to be viewed from other perspectives as well.
“Historically, PNG’s profile internationally has been tainted by the breakdown in law and order. The events of (10 Jan) put in the spotlight PNG’s negative profile even more as the horrible images of the carnage and mayhem over the City were broadcast all over the world. “Levels of business confidence in PNG have diminished considerably and there is much work to be done to restore confidence. Business leaders have declared their intentions to rebuild and Government’s financial interventions will assist in this regard,” he said.
