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PM gets tough on public
servants
By ISAAC NICHOLAS
SENIOR public servants will be discouraged
from contesting the elections under proposed new laws, Prime Minister
Sir Michael Somare indicated at the heads of departments and statutory
organisations dedication service yesterday.
Sir Michael revealed at the dedication service that he would be looking
at the possibility of enacting changes to the Public Service Management
Act.
He indicated that the new laws would make it difficult for public
servants contesting elections to return to their former posts in the
public service.
“For those of you who want to enter politics, it’s your democratic
right, but you have to work.
“Don’t try to just go and run for election and think that you will come
back into the public service.
“We will make amendments. You don’t have to come back because I need
continuity in the public service.
“We want people to stay and continue to render services to the people,”
he said.
However, those changes are not expected until after this year’s
election.
Sir Michael also said amendments would also be made to the Public
Service Management Act to ensure departmental heads are in the field to
monitor the Government’s development initiatives.
When raising concerns about the sectoral coordination of development
issues, Sir Michael said project implementation was still weak in many
areas and often did not continue beyond the national level.
“We have to strengthen the linkages between the different tiers of
Government.
“That’s for me to look at in the dying days of government.
“I want to make sure the system of coordination between the national and
provincial governments, between departmental heads in Port Moresby and
provincial departmental heads.”
He said there should be more exchanges of information because he had
received the same old stories that Waigani was not responding to
outstanding requests.
“I’m looking at the possibility of making amendments to the Public
Service Management Act so that you are not just stuck in Waigani.
“You must be out there in the field carrying out your responsibility to
ensure that projects that we initiated are implemented.”
 
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