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OC tables reports
By SHEILA LASIBORI
SINCE Papua New Guinea gained independence
in 1975, there have been 30 Commission of Inquiries.
And most of the recommendations from these inquiries have not been
implemented by the respective leaders and designated officers especially
bureaucrats and public servants.
Ombudsman Peter Masi revealed this yesterday in Port Moresby when he and
Chief Ombudsman Ila Geno met with the media regarding the recent
revelations by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and the tabling of
the Ombudsman Commission’s (OC) annual reports for the years 2003, 2004,
and 2005.
Mr Masi and Mr Geno commended the work of the PAC and called on other
Parliamentary committees to follow suite in looking into concerned
operations within some Government departments and organisations.
The PAC on Tuesday revealed there was a system involving politicians and
senior bureaucrats existed at Waigani, which was masterminding the
misuse of money meant for developing PNG’s rural areas. PAC member
Malcolm Smith-Kela had said the people involved had used this system for
31 years and were responsible for misappropriating about 50% of the
monies that were planned for much needed services and infrastructure
development in the rural areas throughout the country.
And this, the PAC, said had prompted moves to ask Parliament to set up
an independent commission against corruption (ICAC).
“Today we only look at PAC on finance but there are other issues such as
fisheries, forestry and logging,” Mr Masi said.
“Some (people) say we should go to the Courts to enforce the
recommendations.”
Mr Geno said the OC had two main functions and these were to try and
persuade the other Government agencies to improve their own
organisations so the people are served in terms of the delivery of goods
and services.
And the second was that it looked at the provisions in the Leadership
Code and conducts initial investigations corresponding to complaints
laid with the OC.
 
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