Thursday 20 August, 2020
Provincial Governors have been urged to ensure that both political and bureaucratic systems be harmonized to enable service delivery reaches people in the remote areas of the country
Acting Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister & National Executive Council Amb, Isaac Lupari
The Acting Secretary for the Department of Prime Minister & National Executive Council Amb. Isaac Lupari, when addressing the 2020 Provincial Governors’ Conference at the Hilton Hotel in Port Moresby today, appealed to the Governors to focus on both the country’s political and bureaucratic systems when deliberating on decentralization of powers.
He said the current bureaucratic system spent more than K4 billion every year on salaries of public servants with no tangible results of service deliver felt nor seen by the people.
“If the Government is spending K4.3 billion on public service and services are not reaching our people, then there is something wrong,” Mr Lupari said.
Mr Lupari has also expressed concern over the composition of the workforce in the provinces and districts, which he said is made up of almost 90 percent of the local staff and urged Governors to seriousy address the issue.
“This creates a culture of regionalism that will become a threat to the National Security of Papua New Guinea, going into the future.”
Meanwhile, priority focus areas for discussion during the two day conference are: Constitutional Amendment and Organic Law on Decentralization – Empowerment and Progressive Development through Gradative Decentralization; Review of Electoral Boundaries; Review of Organic on Elections; Review of Integrity of Political Parties – Leadership and Development; Discussions and Options for Inclusivity and Representation; Provincial Economies – Economic Growth;Organic Law on Minerals and Hydro Carbon; COVID-19: Impact and Implications for Provincial Management, Leadership; Partnership for Local Solutions, Human Welfare and Economic Sustainability.