We must change our system of Government
By Allen Bird
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Our country is overrun with corruption because we do not have an effective check on power.
There is a complete lack of checks and balances in the system. In fact I would say that there aren’t any checks and balances at all.
We negotiate for an opportunity to spend money. Everyone spends public money, from the PM all the way to the LLG presidents and the ward members and public servants.
Who checks on the Provincial Governments? No one. Who checks on the DDA? No one. Who checks on the LLG? No one. Who checks on the national government? No one.
The only check and balance is the goodwill of those who are in those positions. We work on a series of consensus. We have consensus in Parliament to spend money, we have consensus in the Assembly to spend money, we have consensus in the DDA to spend money and we have consensus in the LLG to spend public money on projects we desire.
Right now, the only real check and balance is the individual himself. And if the individual feels he is doing the right thing, the nation is at the mercy of the individual in a position of power to negotiate his opportunity to spend public money.
We need strong mechanisms of checks and balances that will say NO to those spending money and to jail them if they don’t comply.
Such a system does not exist in PNG right now.
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This is very very true. Spot on Governor! What is the role of the Auditor General’s office, the Ombudsman Commission and the many government agencies including internal Audit Department’s etc.? Are they all not working or are they all just turning a blind eye? The Auditor General’s office must be fully resourced and empowered to check, verify and audit government funding and expenditure from the Prime Ministers office down to local level governments and Councillors including all government departments, statutory bodies, provincial governments, DDAs, and any government or semi-government agency allocated public money to manage for the people. Focus should not only be on money but also on performance of public servants and statutory office holders.
This is a sad state of affairs in the sovereign state of Papua new Guinea. The mechanism of check n balance not in place. No wonder people abuse funds n get jailed for that matter . In the events of take back PNG one must get this mechanism in place, it’s a matter of priority. Thanks.
??? There are already systems in place yet manipulated for personal gains. Funding are receipt according to submitted and approved justifications. Spending is normally done based on the approved cash flow projections and workflow schedules specifically divided into quarterly bases per year.
Responsible people found to have missuses funds after a sanctioned audit are referred to for disciplinary actions accordingly. This country simply needs a better system for better control!