Sir J urges public servants to fight corruption

New Ireland Province Governor Sir Julius Chan gave one of his most straightforward talks on ‘Corruption’ to Senior Executive Public servants and State agency heads in Kavieng recently.

Sir J said, “Corruption was growing like Cancer that is eating away at the very fabric of our society and needed to be addressed at all levels.”

He commanded the Senior Executives and Heads of State Agencies to do their part in ridding the corruption that has now become deeply entrenched in the public service machinery and society as a whole.

With over 50 years of his life devoted to politics and public life Sir J has gone through enough trials and tribulations to know that PNG’s current state is glaringly worrying and needs to be immediately rectified.

“Corruption is the single biggest evil that continues to evolve, inflict and cause irreparable destruction to the very fabric of our PNG society.”

Sir J said his People’s Progress Party (PPP) notes that the level of both perceived and actual corruption in our country has reached unprecedented heights. Which has become a burning issue, which needs to be pursued vigorously at all, levels of government and society.

“Worldwide, according to research, anti-corruption reforms succeeded when top leaders lead to overcome bureaucratic resistance and inertia. This means that our political leaders must lead in uprooting the corruption and practices that are deeply entrenched in the bureaucracy,” said Sir J.

He said research also tells us that Civil Society and Community at large must be involved and must also be free from political influence and manipulation. PNG’s ranking on the global Corruption Perception Index (CPI) has been very poor.

Sir J said, “Corruption is systematic, and structured and will always exist if we as responsible leaders and citizens do not act to deal with it. It is rampant in all sectors of PNG.”

He said grand corruption impacts badly on human rights, service delivery and economic disaster. It is the source of inequality.

Sir J is calling on every citizen to make it their business to ensure that the fight against corruption gains momentum to become a PNG-wide crusade against this ‘cancer.’

“It is time now for every concerned citizen to rise and say ‘Enough is enough’ of corruption and ‘Enough’ of the incompetence of leadership that breeds and cultivates and thrives on corruption.”

“With this backdrop and in view of corruption reaching unprecedented levels in PNG, the PPP has taken responsible and firm action to fight corruption.”

Sir J said the way forward for a Government that PPP is in will be serious and will immediately set the agenda with some obvious measures to weed out Corruption and strengthen oversight or institutions by:

  • Reinstating Task Force Sweep and resource it to investigate corruption throughout the public sector, including known cases, without interference.
  • Widening the Proceeds of Crimes legislation to allow prosecution of all parties involved – givers and takers.
  • Fully enforce the recently passed laws governing the Independent Commission Against Corruption – ICAC, the Whistleblowers Act and the Unexplained Wealth Act.
  • Strengthening and adequately fund the Police so that the Fraud and Anti-Corruption Directorate can carry out its investigations properly, without political interference.
  • Adequately funding the Auditor General, the Ombudsman Commission, the Office of the Public Prosecutor and the Police Prosecutor.
  • Increase funding to allow the Judiciary to appoint special Judges to hear Corruption cases expeditiously.
  • Institute Penal of Judges to clear all Election Disputes within three months and make Judge’s Decisions non-Justiciable.
  • Table the reports and recommendations of the Commissions of Inquiry, including into SABLs and the Finance Department, and act on them immediately forthwith; and
  • Other appropriate measures deemed necessary.
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