Press Statement: Better late than never

It has been a long time coming however Transparency International PNG (TIPNG) applauds the Speaker of Parliament in revealing the mismanagement of K20 million over the past 10 years by senior parliament officers. The reports stated that the funds were for the renovation and maintenance of the Parliament House but were abused through unscrupulous awards of contracts. This shows a real lack of good governance and complete failure to follow legal processes. The current compliance audit being conducted on the operations of the parliament is a good demonstration of what the PNG Government has committed to do in uprooting corruption.

“The perpetrators of the abuse of the funds must be dealt with by law, disciplined and prosecuted accordingly. Furthermore, we encourage establishment of a fraud control plan to prevent such abuses in the future,” said the Secretary of TIPNG, Mrs Gail Edoni.

TIPNG also commends and supports the Speaker’s move to improve parliament by exerting discipline upon the Members of Parliament in their attendance to parliament sittings and enhancing the capacity of parliamentary committees. One of the core responsibilities of a Member of Parliament is to make laws and oversight the executive. These things cannot be done if MPs do not attend parliament sessions. TIPNG urges MPs to attend parliament sittings to represent, debate and address issues of the people who voted them in. The Speaker’s call to restore parliament by increasing the capacity of parliamentary committees to fulfill their accountability and responsibility is also a positive step towards better governance of public affairs.

Transparency International PNG welcomes any opportunity to work with the current Government and departments in their anti-corruption efforts and plans.