Papua New Guinea MPs fail to do their job: National Research Institute
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Papua New Guinea MPs
fail to do their job: National Research Institute
PORT MORESBY: Bougainville Professional Researcher Dr
Thomas Webster says the failure to expose and hold Members of Parliament (MPs) responsible
for not doing their job is due to the executive government overpowering its
legislative functions.
“There was weakness in
the accountability mechanism in Parliament as parliamentary committees were not
working. The weakness is executive government has a lot of control over the
functions of legislator so it is unable to keep the executive checked,” he
added.
Webster, a research fellow
and project manager of Bougainville research in governance programme at the
National Research Institute, spoke at a talkback show on FM100 yesterday (June
9, 2022).
The news update on General Election 2022 was published by The National:
MPs not doing their
jobs: NRI
June
10, 2022The NationalMain
Stories
THE failure to expose
and hold Members of Parliament responsible for not doing their job is due to
the executive Government overpowering its legislative functions, a researcher
says.
Dr Thomas Webster, a professional research fellow and project manager of
Bougainville research in governance programme at the National Research
Institute (NRI), said there was weakness in the accountability mechanism in
parliament as parliamentary committees were not working.
“The weakness is executive government has a lot of control over the functions
of legislator so it is unable to keep the executive checked,” he said.
Webster, during a talkback show on FM 100 yesterday, said the executive had
about 32 ministers, more than 20 vice-ministers and 50 parliamentary committees
along with their chair.
He said the chairman was appointed by the ruling party where they already had
the majority of the members from the executive government on the legislative.
He said the executive government also had the district and provincial services
improvement programme funds where parliamentarians would found it difficult to
access.
“Clearly, the legislator arm of Government is not free to keep the executive
arm in check, which is originally intended,” Webster said.
“Those are the systems that we need to review.”
He said the parliamentary committee was supposed to make sure that the budget
had been spent on the rightful areas.
Webster said when the Office of the Auditor-General provided the audits of the
Government agencies to Parliament, the parliamentary committee would then do
the detail investigation to hold public servants accountable.
“They can ask the public servants to come forward if the Auditor-General
reported that some funds were missing,” he said.
“This will ensure Government departments are not abusing and misusing funds and
to make sure they spent according to the budget.
“That makes sure the funds are spent in the way it is approved by Parliament
and the executive government would be accountable through the legislator to the
people.”
Webster said the passing of the commission of inquiry bill had shown that
somehow the executive arm and the prime minister had too much power to make the
decision.
He said, however, the legislator arm should have the ultimate body that
appointed the executive Government and had to hold accountable.
“Basically they were not doing their job,” he said.
People are not looking happy, says O’Neill
FORMER prime minister Peter O’Neill, after
visiting around the country, says people do not look happy.
The People’s National Congress (PNC) party leader said he understood that
parents and families were struggling in these tough economic times.
He said the party’s policies were focused on rural people and children.
Speaking at a rally in Obura-Wonenara in support of sitting MP and PNC man
Mehrra Minne Kipefa yesterday, O’Neill said: “Our policies are very clear,
focusing on people in remote areas.
“I come here to show strong support for our young leader.
“There are 17 of us (PNC MPs) in Parliament going into the General Election
2022. I went all over the country, many families and parents are struggling to
pay fees.
“Papua New Guinea will celebrate 50 years’ anniversary in 2025, are we going to
continue to suffer?
“We have resources but are not choosing right leaders.”
Govt to continue role:
PM during GE22: Marape
June 10, 2022The NationalMain Stories
“All ministers can continue to perform their functions as ministers, and that
the National Executive Council (NEC) is intact for all intents and purposes,”
Marape said in response to claims made by former chief secretary Isaac Lupari
that the Government should not make executive decisions during General Election
2022 (GE22).
“There are important principles of governance that this government continues to
abide by.”
The principle of the Constitution supports that there is no vacuum in the
executive government even in an election process.
“Clearly, the intention is to ensure that the important business of government
continues to function appropriately and unhindered, within certain broad
considerations.
“This is hardly different to what prevailed in 2017, and 2012 and before that,
and Lupari knows that only too well.”
Marape said the record further showed that in 2012, the NEC was intact and
working and presided over matters including the awarding of contracts for the
Pacific Games Village, and associated sporting facilities in preparation for
the 2015 Pacific Games.
He said it was necessary that those awards be made because of the critical
planning pathways that these important projects were on and that those NEC
decision would have been at the tail end of the relevant processes.
He said in 2017 the NEC held two meetings were held between the issuance of
writs on April 20 and the return of writs on July 28.
A total of 58 decisions were made during this period.
“It is interesting that Lupari was the chief secretary and chief adviser to the
then prime minister and the NEC,” he said. Marape assured Papua New Guineans
that the executive government was in place to ensure that important programmes
were not stalled.
ENB ward rolls to be finalised two weeks
before polling, official says
By ROSELYN ELLISON
THE electoral ward
rolls updates for East New Britain (ENB) should be finalised two weeks before
polling commences, an official says.
This was confirmed by ENB election manager Joap Voivoi.
He told The National yesterday that the electoral rolls for all the wards in
the province would be updated and used during the General Election 2022 (GE22).
Voivoi said he did not expect the number of eligible voters to increase greatly
compared to figures from the national census which covered the whole
population.
He said ward rolls in the province had been conducted since the 2017 election
and again in 2019 during the local level government (LLG) elections.
“In the 2017 elections, the total numbers of eligible voters per electorate saw
Gazelle with over 61,000, Kokopo had more than 41,000, Pomio registered over
31,000 and Rabaul had more than 21,000,” he said.
“The total number of eligible voters for the 2019 LLG elections per electorates
are, Gazelle increased to over 65,000, Kokopo also went up to more than 47,000,
Pomio recorded over 32,000 while Rabaul registered over 22,000.”
Voivoi added that this year according to preliminary roll figures, eligible
voters increased to over 67,000 for Gazelle, Kokopo registered over 49,000,
Pomio had more than 33,000 and Rabaul recorded 23,000.
He said the total number of eligible voters for East New Britain this year was
more than 174,000.
Voivoi said, total of more than 12,500 names have been deleted from the ward
rolls in the province.
Manus faces logistics challenges
THE Manus election
team is looking forward to meeting the challenge of facilitating polling for
the General Election 2022 (GE22) over a wide area in the island province, an
official says.
Acting provincial election manager Tony Balema told The National yesterday that
little had been done after the nominations as they were preparing logistics for
polling in the island province.
Balema said there were only two seats for Manus – the regional and open – with
total of 55 candidates contesting the seats (36 for the open and 19 for the
regional) in GE22.
“The provincial administration has supported us with additional funding towards
this election apart from funding coming from the Electoral Commission,” he
said.
Balema added that as Manus comprised islands spread over its more than 220,000
square kilometres of sea territory, logistics would be a challenge especially
reaching the smaller islands in the local level governments (LLGs).
He said they had engaged the LLG managers because they had the local knowledge
and could provide valuable assistance.
Do not make executive decisions during polls,
says Lupari
FORMER chief secretary Isaac Lupari says that
Government must not make executive decisions during General Election 2022
(GE22).
Lupari, who is contesting the Moresby North-West Open seat, said he was
compelled to speak out on the Government’s statements that Cabinet would
continue to function “as normal” until the return of writs in the forthcoming
election. “Whilst I accept that under division 4 of our Constitution, a prime
minister or minister remains in that role until such time as the writs of the
National Election are returned, and a new prime minister is elected, our nation
has a long history of adhering to the Westminster caretaker convention in line
with our national Constitution,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.
“They are the rules and norms that form the basis of our constitutional
democracy.
“This ensures that no major or critical decisions are made during the period
after which the parliament is dissolved, and a new government is formed.”
Lupari said reason for this was because the Government could not be held to
account by the Parliament while elections taking place.
“The parliament is not able to perform its mandated constitutional role while
the election takes place, and it is therefore appropriate that the executive
refrain from making any decisions during that period,” he said.
“This convention has been upheld by every single Prime Minister up until now.
Lupari said a caretaker convention was applied in every advanced democracy that
had adopted the Westminster system of government; this includes New Zealand,
Great Britain, Canada and Australia, and other Commonwealth nations.
He said the prime minister and Cabinet only oversaw administration during the
election period.
Lupari called upon Prime Minister James Marape to respect the Constitution.
Force set for ops
June
10, 2022The
NationalMain
Stories
A QUICK response force
(QRF) will be deployed into the Highlands next week to ensure the General
Election 2022 (GE22) is carried out freely and fairly, Police Commissioner
David Manning says.
The QRF will comprise the disciplined forces – police, Papua New Guinea Defence
Force (PNGDF) and Correctional Services (CS).
Manning announced this in Mt Hagen yesterday while visiting his commanders and
to check on security preparations for the election.
He said the Highlands was a volatile region and provinces such as Enga,
Southern Highlands and Hela had reported instances of violence heading into
GE22.
Manning said security needed to be ready to deal with all challenges and ensure
a smooth flow of the electoral process.
“My visit is to make sure that police are prepared,” he said.
“We have to get a brief on the level of preparations and what we can do.”
Manning said contingents of security personal were expected to arrive in the
region on Thursday to conduct operations and ensure that the environment was
safe.
He said resources and manpower would be supplied to the Highlands and the
public would see police officers and other support personnel in full force
starting next week.
“This is to ensure that the election process is followed and people have to
exercise their rights,” he said.
He said once the QRF made its presence felt it would guarantee a peaceful
election.
On the recent closure of the Kagamuga Airport in Mt Hagen, Manning urged the
people to work together to ensure that their communities were safe.
Politicians still trying to score points over
death
NAMATANIA MP Walter Schnaubelt has called on
leaders in New Ireland not to politicise the death of New Ireland regional
candidate Augustine Molonges.
Schnaubelt was responding to claims by New Ireland Governor Sir Julius Chan
blaming him for triggering the death.
“It is unbecoming of a leader of Sir Julius’ stature to make outlandish claims
about curses and wild baseless accusations, and above all disrespecting the
deceased man,” Schnaulbelt said.
“No matter how much we might disagree on issues of policy, it is beholden upon
us, both as candidates and as members of our communities, to have respect for
those who have passed.
“This is a time that we put politics aside, instead of trying to politicise the
death of a man who passed away following complications from diabetes.
“For Sir Julius to say that the late Molonges died because he was campaigning
with me is ridiculous, and this type of curse magic mentality has no place in
today’s PNG.
“If anything, this is a time for leaders to get together and highlight the
dangers of diabetes,” he said.
Schnaubelt said Molonges succumbed to complications of diabetes which he had
been suffering from for a long time.
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