MAROVO Constituency in Western Province is slowly but surely moving despite the pandemic to provide service to its people as it eyes the manufacturing of fiberglass boats in the lagoon by its National Parliament representative and Constituency office.
Though the manufacturing of fiberglass boats are reported to still be the initial stages of trials, it has already received praise from locals in Marovo.
Mr. Enola Vendi of Patu Tiva village said, that he like many others is excited over the initiative taken by their Member of Parliament (MP) and can only hope that this is a sign of unbiased service delivery to the population.
“There are many people in Marovo constituency that have never been recipients of assistance from our national leaders in the past.
“But now we are hearing great news of what the future may hold and many are quietly hoping that this time around we will be able to get some help towards our welfare,” he said.
Having made a brief visit to a nearby commercial camp named Doku Dola, Vendi said that he was told that at the current stage sample boats are being made.
The boat samples around twelve feet would allow workers to assess water stability, durability, and other aspects that may need adjusting.
The move to build fiberglass boats in the constituency is seen as sensible since the two most costly aspects of these boats are raw materials and labour.
By importing raw building materials and cutting out the high cost of transporting the finished product, there are some savings to be made while increasing the output and outreach of the product.
Vendi said that the small size of the boats makes them economical to build and efficient enough for the daily transportation needs of families in island villages.
“Marovo is a lagoon constituency of hundreds of islands, we have little use for vehicles and the ability to purchase large working boats (ray boats) is not possible for many of us.
“In the case that some of us are able to get a working boat, it would still require a higher cost to maintain and use,” said Vendi.
He continued to say that the big picture here is the initiative if found viable will allow the better possibility of services and assistance reaching the people as well as provided added employment opportunities very much needed in Marovo even before the rise of the global pandemic.
It is reported that future projections of manufacturing estimate releasing four completed boats from its shed a day, and if achieved may see all villages become recipients of the assistance by the end of the political term.
By TERENCE ZIRU
Gizo News Bureau
