I WOULD like to commend the effort of Transparency International to curb corruption and promote transparency.
TI has made considerable advances in the last five years despite the many challenges that confront a non-governmental organisation, whose mission is to ‘create change towards a world free of corruption’.
It has promoted advocacy, supported transparency, accountability and good governance and for that, I must commend the good work done by TIPNG.
However, I am sure that we all would agree there is a lot of work still to be done.
The battle against corruption remains an uphill task in the region, particularly in PNG.
The full extent of corruption is yet to be fully realised here.
In most cases, corrupt practices have become embedded in our way of life so much so that we do not even realise that our actions are corrupt.
Corruption has been eating away at the very fabric of our life and something needs to be done urgently.
As stated by British clergyman Charles Caleb Colton: “Corruption is like a snowball, once it starts, it will increase.”
Attitudes towards corruption in PNG have not radically changed in either our leaders or our people.
By leaders I mean those who are in authority, the elected representatives, constitutional office holders and public servants – those at decision-making levels whose actions and decisions affect the lives of every person in PNG.
Governments and leaders remain passive in the face of serious corruption and lack of action leads to disillusionment and disenchantment by the public.
The capacity of elected leaders to move the country forward in a transparent and accountable manner needs to be greatly strengthened.
Building up personal integrity must remain the focus of TIPNG.
The focus must be on making sure that leaders of this country are aware that public funds are for the public’s benefit.
In my view, when any public expenditure is being considered, the key question that must be answered is what public benefit will occur as a result of the expenditure.
It is important to note that not all leaders are corrupt and that there are those who are trustworthy and capable of doing great things to move this nation forward.
However, those who do not uphold the principles that TI champions have the capacity to taint the whole system.
The use of public funds for personal benefit rather than public benefit is one of the greatest concerns facing this nation.
In our culture, leaders are often seen as the providers of goods and services and it is often difficult to find the correct balance between meeting the demands of the people and encouraging corrupt practices.
Using public funds for personal benefit is in my opinion, corruption at its worst.
This is because this money comes from ordinary citizens who struggle to make ends meet.
It is sad to note that while people struggle, a privileged few continue to misuse money that should go back to helping the citizens of this country.
It is of critical importance that leaders in both their public and private lives do not bring disrepute to the organisations that they represent or themselves.

Frank Goi
Newcastle, Australia