Crowd shouts down Agiru during speech

THOUSANDS of people at the Memoi oval in Mendi town, Southern Highlands, shouted at Governor Anderson Agiru to sit down when he stood to give his speech, The National reports.
The people did that in front of Prime Minister Peter O'Neill, Minister for Finance and Treasury Don Polye, Transport and Works Minister Francis Awesa, Minister for Public Services Bart Philemon, Minister for Inter-Government Relations and District Development Mark Maipakai, Health Minister Jamie Maxtone-Graham, NCD Governor Powes Parkop, Governor John Luke (Milne Bay) and local MPs.
But despite the commotion, Agiru continued.
The noise was so loud that people had a hard time trying to understand what he was saying.
It is not known why the people shouted down Agiru.
Some people later claimed Agiru had not delivered services to his people.
They said Agiru and other MPs from the province had not supported O'Neill when he formed the new government.
Agiru told O'Neill and his delegation to look at where they were coming from. That brought further jeers from the crowd.
The crowd calmed down when the member Tari-Pori, James Marape, was called to the podium.
Marape accused one or two leaders of corruption, saying it led to the downfall of the Somare government.
He said it was not good to make general statements about the former regime.
He urged the new government to fix roads from Mt Hagen to Lake Kopiago in Southern Highlands.
Marape said the people from Kopiago must feel safe to travel to Mendi and back.