A lot of shops, supermarkets and the major businesses that suffered at the hands of the opportunists on Wednesday during the unrest in the Port Moresby city have lost over K100 million worth of good and items, which cannot be replaced soon without some kind of government help. The Governor for the National Capital District (NCD) Powes Parkop in a press conference this morning in Port Moresby, said that this sort of help should come in the form of financial assistance and improving security in the city. Mr. Parkop said that he is glad that the government has put in place this State of Emergency (SOE) in the city because during the 14-day period, things can be looked at in terms of beefing up police efforts in the city so to prevent the sort of incident on Wednesday, from ever repeating itself in the future. In terms of financial assistance, Mr. Parkop said he has made a submission to the National Security Council and also to the National Executive Council (NEC) for the government to provide the affected businesses some form of financial assistance as a measure of confidence and also help them recover. This also includes supporting them with access to foreign exchange for them to make purchases overseas. Governor Parkop said the least the country can do is support them with their recovery because these corporate bodies do a lot for the economy of the country and the people that they serve. “Most of these corporates have been in the country for a long time, they are brand names, household names in the country. They pay their tax, they employ people, they generate income, they are part of the core economy of our city,” said the governor. “So, part of reaching out is to give them confidence and trust, so they can rebuild.” Mr. Parkop later announced that these business houses have expressed their desire to continue business in the city and in the country. In a meeting with the governor this morning, the heads of the affected business houses said that they are still committed to providing service to the people, despite what the people did to them on Wednesday 10th January 2024.