Public Service Minister

Public Service Minister, Joe Sungi made this known when addressing DPM staff on Tuesday 24th January 2023. 

The Minister said consultants are doing the job for departmental heads when heads of agencies should be competent enough to perform their roles.

Minister Sungi outlined that consultants should only be brought in for a short period of time with a specific task that should be clearly stated in the provisions of their terms of reference.

“If you are appointed to perform the role then you must know the job to perform it. Why get an advisor to do the job for you? Because when the advisor is paid to do your job, it simply means you are being paid for doing nothing.”

DPM is only responsible for the facilitation of the process of appointments.

Minister Eoe said this in response to media reports claiming DPM overlooked appointing a permanent Provincial Administrator for Jiwaka Province and brought back a former retired administrator.

To correct the claims made in the media, the following facts are provided:

DPM has been directed that six months before contracts expire, positions must be advertised and acting appointments must be for a period of three months before a substantive appointment be made.

NEC in its directive wants contracts for appointed positions be cleared by the State Solicitor in the shortest possible time; not more than three months.

Elias Kapavore says no bribery or foul play will be involved.

Minister Kapavore, when responding to Eastern Highlands Governor Peter Numu, said the department has and will always maintain the integrity of the selection process of the departmental heads and will not entertain corruption as long as he remains the Minister.

He clarified that under the Public Service Act, provincial executive councils are required to submit three names of applicants to the National Executive Council (NEC) for deliberation on the position of the provincial administrator.

The Minister was speaking during a Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct meet in Madang last month.

Supporting the development of public servants in districts and provinces, including opportunities to engage in the public-private partnership arrangement, were the key discussions of the Executive Advisory Board of the Precinct.

The meeting also coincided with the launch of the new short course on project management.

Kapavore said the Precinct is helping to strengthen the foundations of the public service.

In a statement Kapavore said the K3.1 billion figure increase, purportedly from Treasury, was too high and clarified that the amount was only a projected increase.

The Minister said the pay bill increased from K2.680 billion in 2012 and is accurately projected to be K4.438 billion in 2017, an increase of K1.758 billion or 65.6 percent over the past five years and at an average of 11 percent annually.