PNG corruption…

At its best (or perhaps at its worst)…

PNG politicians that participate in corruption do so openly and without shame. The sad and angry part of it all is that the system appears helpless and fails to really do anything about it. A story appeared in today's “The National” newspaper that explains in black and white what I'm on about…

Failure to acquit

By JULIA DAIA BORE

MORE than 75% of the 109 sitting MPs have
failed to acquit their expenditure for the past five years.
Most, however, have done so for the 2006 expenditure which, according to
sources, would enable them to receive the 2007 funds.
Early this month, Chief Ombudsman Ila Geno said no monies would be paid
out unless the MP made up-to-date acquittals.
“They rushed to make these acquittals beginning last month, when the
Ombudsman Commission issued a reminder that they must acquit all their
expenditures for their rural development projects in their electorates
before the release of the 2007 funds,” a source said.
However, most have failed to acquit their expenditure for the previous
years.
In the Prime Minister’s Momase region, only three of the 29 MPs have
acquitted their expenditure for their full five-year term.
Eleven of them submitted acquittals for 2006 but not for the previous
years.
In the Highlands, only two of the 39 MPs have acquitted their
expenditure for all of the five years.
The others acquitted their expenditure for two or three years, while
four failed to do so completely.
In the Papua region, only two of the 24 MPs submitted their acquittal
for the five years and five submitted for 2006.
From the New Guinea Islands region, only three MPs submitted their
acquittal for the five years and 15 did so for 2006.
When contacted late yesterday, Mr Geno said it was not the commission’s
objective to stop the MPs from receiving their funds.
“All we are doing is sending out a reminder to all our leaders to follow
the existing normal procedures and rules of law under the Public finance
Management Act,” he said.
“Our (Ombudsman Commission) number one rule is to protect our leaders by
reminding them to abide by the laws that govern the disbursing of public
finances. Protection is better than cure,” he said.
When asked if his office had received a report by the Office of the
Rural Development, which showed that many MPs had failed to submit their
acquittals since 2002, he said the question should be referred to his
media office “so that we, as an office, can collectively look at your
questions and adequately answer the queries”.