SMOKESCREENS & SCAPEGOATS: The Prime Minister’s Latest Idea — The National Monitoring And Coordination Authority (NMCA)

by Daniel Baulch (GAICD, Mldshp) – Deputy Commissioner @ Independent Commission Against Corruption PNG | GAICD, Master of Leadership Integrity, governance, regulation, emergency & crisis management, justice, law enforcement and investigation – LinkedIn

🔥 SMOKESCREENS & SCAPEGOATS 🔥

The Prime Minister’s latest idea — the National Monitoring and Coordination Authority (NMCA) — is being sold as the answer to government inefficiencies. But let’s be honest:

👉 Where is the budget? How much will this new authority cost, and who is footing the bill?

👉 Why not the Auditor General? Isn’t that the constitutional office responsible for accountability? Instead, we get another body to “mark the PM’s own homework.”

👉 PGK 57 Billion in PIP funding since 2019 — yet no transparency. Will NMCA really uncover where that money went, or just add another layer of bureaucracy?

👉 What powers will NMCA have? Will they demand transaction details from BPNG and commercial banks? Will they track the flows to overseas contractors and hidden beneficiaries? Or will it all stop at the doorstep of political convenience?

👉 Efficiencies? If the PM was serious, he could start by merging bloated agencies and cutting unnecessary boards and Ministers who have presided over failure. That would be real reform.

👉 Ghost employees? The Department of Personnel Management already ran that clean-up. Once again, hardworking public servants risk being scapegoated while the real culprits remain untouched.

This is not efficiency. This is distraction. And it’s the people of PNG who pay the price.

So I’ll ask: when corruption is entrenched, Ministers are unaccountable, and billions vanish without trace…

👻 Who you gonna call? GHOSTBUSTERS!

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Where is the accountability for the millions spent on tablets for the PNG National Census that were never used?

A significant amount of taxpayer money was spent on tablets for the national census, yet they were never used for their intended purpose. This is not just wasteful spending — it is a failure of accountability that undermines public trust.

To date, there has been no clear investigation or public report from the oversight bodies we rely on. The Auditor General, the Ombudsman Commission, the Fraud and Anti-Corruption Directorate of the police, and now the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC PNG) all have mandates to act on issues of misuse of public funds. Yet their silence is troubling.

ICAC was created to directly address corruption of this nature — with the power to investigate, prosecute, and prevent it. The public rightly expects it to take the lead where others may have failed.

Citizens deserve answers:

• Who approved this major purchase without ensuring proper use?

• Why has no oversight body, including ICAC, launched a visible investigation?

• How can such misuse of public funds be prevented in future?

Without decisive action, credibility in our institutions continues to erode. Accountability is not optional. It is the foundation of good governance.

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Mirisim’s Family Firm Bags Millions in Fake Road Contracts

by Albert Joseph – Trained Certified Defensive & Executive Driver – LinkedIn

Friday, August 22, 2025 | PNG Online News, Inside Works Whistleblower , 4mile Works Office

Works and Highways Minister Solan Mirisim has been caught funnelling millions of kina from the K600 million Works budget to ghost contractors — including his own family-linked company, Tumula Investment Ltd.

According to the Investment Promotion Authority (IPA), Tumula Investment Ltd is registered as a finance company and not a construction company. Despite this, Minister Mirisim instructed his Departmental Head, Secretary Gibson Holemba, to authorise payments of K7.8 million to Tumula Investment during the 2024 close of accounts and again in May 2025.

IPA records reveal that Tumula Investment Ltd has no declared capital, no machinery, and no operational capacity to perform roadworks. Its sole director is Irad Nati — Minister Mirisim’s cousin. This blatant conflict of interest raises serious questions about how public funds were deliberately redirected into the Minister’s family network.

The scandal now casts doubt over the entire K600 million Works and Highways allocation, with evidence suggesting much of it has been siphoned to fake contractors and politically connected entities. Meanwhile, roads and highways across Papua New Guinea remain in deplorable condition.

This is not just negligence — it is outright abuse of office and a betrayal of public trust. The people of PNG deserve answers:

How can a registered finance company be paid millions for road projects?

Why did Secretary Holemba approve these fraudulent payments?

And why is Minister Mirisim still in office?

Law enforcement agencies and anti-corruption bodies must investigate urgently to recover stolen funds and hold those responsible to account.

Source: PNG VOICE FACEBOOK