The Minister for Rural and Economic Development and Member for Kandrian Gloucester District, Joseph Lelang, has come out to publicly condemned misleading claims circulating in the media and on social media about him, calling them completely false and politically motivated.

 The allegations, made by a man named John Sanga Mondo, merely suggest that Minister Lelang and the Kandrian Gloucester District Development Authority (DDA) have neglected the Silovuti Junction to Wara Wia road. The Minister firmly rejected these claims, describing them as deliberate attempts to mislead the people of Kandrian Gloucester.

“I will not allow baseless accusations to tarnish the truth or undermine established government processes,” Minister Lelang said.

He made it clear that the Kandrian DDA approved the Silovuti Junction to Wia River to Kandrian Station road project on 7 November 2022. The project received National Government approval for K50 million, with K10 million to be released annually under the Public Investment Program. Since this is an existing logging road, the funds are administered through the West New Britain Provincial Government, which issued contracts and engages logging companies operating in the area to maintain the roads.

“This project is under active contract with the Provincial Government. The contractor’s equipment is on site, their teams are working, and legally, I have no authority to intervene. Anyone making claims otherwise is either ignorant of government procedure or deliberately misleading the public,” Minister Lelang said.

He called on Mr. Mondo to direct his questions to the West New Britain Provincial Government rather than making “reckless statements that mislead the public and attempt to score political points.”

Minister Lelang also reminded the public that Mr. John Sanga Mondo is a former candidate for the West New Britain Regional seat, who lost in the 2022 national elections, questioning his motives in making statements on district development, especially with the next National General Elections coming up in less than 12 months.

Minister Lelang highlighted his ongoing commitment to infrastructure development, pointing to significant allocations already in motion, including K2.3 million for Phase One of the Gloucester Ring road, K500,000 for Aingon inland road maintenance in Gasmata LLG, and K3 million for a maintenance program from Senemsi LLG Chamber to Kandrian Station road.

Following Prime Minister James Marape’s visit to Gasmata in February 2025, the DDA has also completed feasibility studies and submitted a K400million proposal for a major new highway linking Gloucester, Kandrian, Gasmata, and onward to Kimbe, the largest infrastructure investment in the district’s history.

Minister Lelang condemned Mr. Mondo’s statements as “irresponsible, misleading, and politically driven,” emphasizing that such actions amount to online harassment.

“This crosses into cyberbullying and defamation and I will be referring this matter to the appropriate authorities for proper actions,” he said.

He also urged the West New Britain Provincial Government to “step forward and provide transparency on the Silovuti to Wara Wia road contract” so the public can see who is responsible and how progress is being made.

“The people of Kandrian Gloucester deserve facts, not political lies,” Minister Lelang concluded.