Robert@PNG

Just because I haven't mentioned it for a while does not mean that it has suddenly stopped. In fact you can pickup the newspaper any day and find stories galore.

It's a real shame that the “Big Men” in PNG have slowly evolved from givers to takers - from carers to destroyers and from true leaders to mercenaries. When money speaks louder than words - greed kicks in and all decency is thrown out the window.

And from today's front page in the Post Courier - it's not just the money of the PNG folks that these knaves steal and squander but donor money intended for a just and worthy cause.

(I say… that a culture of dependency and free hand-outs, which has clearly emerged in PNG, has successfully bred a new style of institutional “raider” - unfortunately, to the detriment of most)

Read for yourself…

AIDS Council funds probe

A SENIOR manager of the National AIDS Council
Secretariat has been suspended and an investigation ordered into allegations of
serious financial and administrative malpractices.
The acting director of the secretariat Romanus Pa-kure and six of his senior
management staff have all been stood down to allow for the investigation.
Health and HIV/AIDS Minister Sasa Zibe said yesterday he had ordered the
investigation and wholesale changes to the NAC Secretariat following allegations
of serious financial and administrative malpractices.
Some of the allegations the minister wants investigated are:
* EXPENDITURE of more than K1 million for stationeries that were never received
by the NAC;
* MISMANAGEMENT of finances within the secretariat, including petty cash, cash
advances, purchase order and cheque payments;
* FAILURE by the management to provide financial and expenditure reports;
* EMPLOYMENT of people outside of the proper recruitment process;
* ABUSE of NAC facilities to access pornographic material;
* MISUSE of funds totalling K64,000 on a trip to Singapore;
* FAILURE by the management to implement council decisions; and
* PAYMENT of K60,000 to a sporting personality without proper approval.
Mr Zibe said he was committed to transparency and accountability in all the
institutions he was responsible for.
He said he was taking the drastic action against NAC management because of
public outcry over the way the management had been operating.
He has directed Health Secretary Dr Clement Malau to establish a care-taker
management which will report directly to the Secretary and to move swiftly to
have a new chairman and board member of the council appointed, an issue that has
been outstanding.
The minister wants the investigation completed within two months and the report
given to him.