The Board of Eda Ranu has spoken out against moves by Kumul Consolidated Holdings (KCH) to take control of the SOE immediately.
Eda Ranu Chairperson, Mary Karo, said whilst the Board would work with the Government to ensure that the proposed merger of Eda Ranu and Water PNG goes ahead, the manner in which KCH had tried to take over the day-to-day operations of Eda Ranu immediately were in breach of proper process.
Following Minister Duma’s announcement of the proposed merger of State-Owned-Entities Eda Ranu and Water PNG at his media conference on Tuesday, the Board of Eda Ranu provided their view on the proposed merger.
From the outset, Eda Ranu Chairperson, Mary Karo, assured the Government that the Board would cooperate in facilitating the decision of the National Executive Council (NEC) to merge Eda Ranu together with Water PNG.
According to Eda Ranu, since the NEC’s decision to merge both entities, there has been very little communication between KCH and the Board of Eda Ranu – with the Board caught off-guard by a recent move by KCH to gain control of Eda Ranu’s day-to-day operations, and effectively stripping the powers of the Board and Management.
According to Mrs Karo, the move by KCH in trying to take control of Eda Ranu did not go down well, especially with older members of their workforce who are close to retiring.
This, in turn, forced some workers to turn off taps to Port Moresby’s water supply on Tuesday.
Whilst the Board of Eda Ranu has acknowledged the decision to merge with Water PNG, they are adamant that the proper process has to be followed – and must include all stakeholders.
In the interim, Eda Ranu has assured the people of Port Moresby and surrounding communities that water services will not be disrupted.
