Parlt needs K20mil for communication system

PARLIAMENT needs about K20 million to overhaul its communication system, deputy clerk Basil Kambuliagen says.
Kambuliagen told The National that the communication system in Parliament was old and needed to be replaced immediately but there was no funding in the budget for it.
Responding to questions about the system breakdown on Friday, which resulted in the adjournment of Parliament at 11am, Kambuliagen said the problems had been ongoing but they had managed until Friday when the power supply into the communication system blew it up. “The system is very old and we need to replace the whole system and modernise it,” he said.
Kambuliagen said the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) had carried out an assessment of the whole system from the chamber, including information communication technology.
“They informed us of the cost. Since we were unable to fund it from the Parliament budget, we have raised it with the Leader of Government Business Rainbo Paita.
Kambuliagen said a proposal was submitted to Paita in the last session of Parliament and he said he would assist and take it up with his department, Communication and Energy.
“Things are looking good so we are just waiting for him to come back to us after the budget,” he said.
“For our case, Finance and Treasury set the budget limit for us – whatever we asked from them they just give us K130million per year, that’s it. Yet our budget is supposed to be larger than that.”
Paita had earlier told The National that a proposal was submitted to him for the overhaul of the entire communication system in Parliament and chamber.
Meanwhile, Parliament technician Matthew Manasseh explained that the power supply to the neon blew up the mic inputs and outputs, resulting in no power supply to the system.
“We have to get somebody else to come and fix it before Parliament resumes on Tuesday,” he said.
“We would engage TE PNG as we do not have the parts available. Some of these parts are not available in the country and we have to order them from overseas.
“That will be the temporary arrangement but for the long term we need the entire system overhauled.”