PM Marape reminded of anti-rot initiatives

Transparency International PNG (TIPNG) has reaffirmed its position as a non-political organisation that will represent the concerns of citizens that value accountability and good governance to the newly-elected Prime Minister, James Marape, and his cabine

“Prime Minister Marape introduced governance reforms within the Department of Finance when he was Minister, such as the Integrated Finance Management System (IFMS), the establishment of a new National Procurement Commission and the innovative Phones Against Corruption initiative whereby citizens can text reports of corruption to the 16321 SMS service,” said TIPNG in their statement.

“Corruption robs our communities of their resources, restricts our people’s access to essential health and education services and denies our children the opportunities and futures they deserve. Papua New Guineans have heard Prime Minister Marape’s strong words on corruption when he was Finance Minister. Now that he is the country’s leader, those strong words must be followed by real action.

“TIPNG has maintained honest and constructive relationships with previous governments to address corruption gaps in the country’s legal framework and will do so again with the Marape government. TIPNG is not anti-government, it is anti-corruption.”

There are five crucial legislative actions that are of national interest that TIPNG would be urging the Marape Government to take to reduce corruption and restore good governance in Papua New Guinea:

  1. Establish a fully empowered Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), with the power to investigate, arrest and prosecute perpetrators of corruption;
  2. Pass amendments to the Organic Law on the Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates (OLIPPAC) to ensure it follows the constitution and is ensures greater accountability in how MPs conduct themselves;
  3. Address the tangible deficiencies identified in TIPNG’s 2017 Election Observation Report through reform of the Electoral Law;
  4. Use the Open Government Partnership (OGP) to pass Access To Information Legislation and strengthen accountability in service delivery through civic participation; and
  5. Establish the outstanding Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) so that benefits from the country’s natural resources can be transparently managed.

These recommendations are drawn in part from report entitled ‘Lest We Forget’ by TIPNG on 20 Issues of National Concern from 2007-2017 that are still to be addressed by the Government.

TIPNG will be writing to Prime Minister Marape to present its recommendations to the Office of the Prime Minister.

(Prime Minister James Marape)

Author: 
Press release