The Southern Highlands Province has a new permanent Provincial Administrator, after the acting position was made permanent after four years during a swearing in ceremony at Government House in Port Moresby this week. Appointed at a time when the province is going through difficult times, with the governors seat challenged in the courts, the new administrator is calling for unity and cooperation among the people. The newly appointed provincial administrator, Mr. Jerry David, has just one thing he wants to see happen, and that is for the people to work together with his provincial administration. “We will need the collective efforts of everyone. The provincial administration needs to harness the skills and knowledge, expertise and experience from all the people in the five districts to work together to help restore the administration and build the systems that we have in the province to deliver the service effectively and efficiently, and with everybody participating and taking ownership of the government policies and programs.” Not wanting to touch too much on the current political climate in the province, David said there are a lot of issues both past and current that need to be sorted out and that would require the cooperation of Ward councillors, Local Level Government presidents, district officers and the people. “Since 2011 till April 2021, we have been having acting provincial administrators and it has been a long-time people have been calling for a permanent appointment.” Mr. David later thanked the government of the day for their wisdom to advertise the position through the Department of Personnel Management to get the appointment out of the way. He also thanked the Department of Personnel Management Secretary, Ms. Taies Sansan, and her team, and the Public Service Commission for making sure all the legal matters, processes and procedures of his appointment was complied with, prior to the appointment by the National Executive Council.