All public servants around the country must have a National Identification card by January 2018 or else, they will not be paid.
Minister for National Planning and Monitoring, Richard Maru, issued the ultimatum when announcing the clean-up exercise of the PNG Civil and Identity Registry.
Maru said all public servants must make it their business to get an NID card as it could be used as their payroll numbers.
He said the measure will ensure ghost names are removed from the Government payroll.
This follows the announcement of Tumbo Kumung as the acting registrar general of the PNG Civil and Identity Registry.
While a detailed review over the current state of affairs within the registry is prepared within the next three months, Maru has also called for immediate action in having more NID cards issued.
And public servants have been urged to be among the first, or face being taken off the payroll.
“Public servants if you do not have a NID card by December you will not be paid next year. So toksave lo ol public servants around the country, you better walk up and get yourself an NID card. Because your ID card number will be the one used on your payroll.
“There are so many ghost names on the payroll and we need to clean it up. And one of the ways to clean up is to issue ID cards,” Maru said.
He said he was happy to announce that the Government will be allocating funding in the 2018 Budget to continue the roll out of NID cards.
And he has stated that he will make it his business to ensure that a majority of the population have NID cards, as it will also be used during the national elections.
“For me if you don’t have an NID card, you will simply not vote in the next election,” Maru said.
He added: “We are going to determine that we have a better election in the next (national) election.”