Tiensten wants tangible growth

National Planning and District Development Minister Paul Tiensten yesterday called for frank discussions on the translating of economic gains into tangible development in districts and rural areas.
He said this at the Consultative Implementation and Monitoring Council’s (CIMC) National Development Forum in Parliament House yesterday.
The theme is “Improving the budget spending process: Ensuring transparency and accountability at all levels”.
“The topic is very appropriate. What our leaders and ordinary people are desperately demanding is appropriately planned, evident and responsible budget spending and reporting, in accordance with current laws, systems, processes and procedures,” he said.
“These are the basic cornerstones of results-oriented public expenditure management.”
Mr Tiensten said the challenge was “the material impact of service delivery” and the accompanying “security and benefit to the ordinary people”.
He quoted un-named participants at one of the regional forums earlier this year who highlighted the disparity between the economic growth of 4.5 per cent while “many issues pointing in the opposite direction in districts and rural areas” and some “K1.1 billion remained in trust accounts”.
He said that the disparity continues to baffle the hearts and minds of millions in PNG, from the isolated remote rural communities all the way to MPs, colleague Ministers and even the Prime Minister is concerned.
Mr Tiensten said that Government has sound plans like the MTDS and its financial twin the Medium Term Fiscal Strategy, and Debt Management Strategy and revenue has exceeded Treasury projections with a record four consecutive supplementary budgets totaling K3.4 billion from 2006 to 2007.
But he said that the challenge is “the material impact of service delivery” and the accompanying “the security and benefit to the ordinary people”.
The Minister said that the evidence supporting the call for results-oriented public expenditure management is “more apparent now as we have more money than previously, and we need to make that money talk in real development”.
He welcomed the timing of discussions on the Budget effectiveness agenda given that the Government was focusing on consolidating the Budget focus in line with the Medium Term Development Strategy and civil society involvement.
He called for Government and Civil Society to jointly agree to a framework of action for improvement and effectiveness in budget effectives and transparency and accountability which he was prepared to take to Cabinet.