Bulolo MP Sam Basil Jr. has expressed frustration with the national government and Morobe Provincial Administration over their handling of landowner issues and Infrastructure Development Grants (IDG) related to the Wafi-Golpu mine. In a media conference this afternoon, Thursday August 15th, Basil voiced support for landowners from Towongola, who staged a peaceful protest by blocking road access to the mine earlier this week, halting construction. Basil criticized the government's failure to address landowner concerns before mine operations began, stating that this neglect led to the protest. He stressed that landowners should not be ignored. "I've been raising this since I entered parliament; even sat with the Prime Minister himself and a few senior MPs from Morobe, and I told them that we need to fix the landowners first before we talk about the mine itself," he said. Basil also expressed his dissatisfaction with the lack of transparency and tangible development projects from IDG funds. He noted that while K100 million was allocated to Morobe for infrastructure, no visible progress had been made in the impacted areas. He further questioned recent IDG payments, calling out the government for misdirecting funds. “The records show that K13 million was paid to three separate organizations, none of which are benefiting the lives of my people of Wafi-Golpu, Mumeng LLG, or Bulolo district." He urged the government and Morobe Provincial Administration to engage directly with the landowners, stating that issues should be resolved on the ground in Bulolo District, not from distant offices in Lae or Port Moresby. "Don't address the issue in Port Moresby, or in Lae, but come to Bulolo District, Mumeng LLG, and you face the landowners, and you tell them in their face what's going on," Basil asserted. The Bulolo MP emphasized that failure to address landowner grievances and properly allocate IDG funds could lead to further unrest, potentially delaying the long-anticipated Wafi-Golpu mine operations. He stressed the importance of resolving landowner issues before any more development could take place. With an additional K50 million IDG recently given to the Morobe Provincial Government, Basil called for the funds to be used transparently, ensuring that the local community sees tangible benefits. He warned that failure to address these issues would only continue to create problems for all stakeholders involved in the mine project. "Every stakeholder involved wants the mine to start," Basil said. "We want to see tangible development projects from it, and all landowner issues sorted out once and for all."