A new chapter for maligned dept

 OPERATIONS of the Department of Lands and Physical Planning (DLPP) are expected to be vastly improved when it transfers from the Aopi Centre to the new office next door on Waigani Drive, NCD.

We were given a tour of the new building, to be christened Eda Tano Haus this week. 

There is more space for staff, office equipment and the hundreds of land files the department had collected and dealt with over the years dating back to the Australian, British and German colonial administrations.

The office complex, complete with a medical clinic and a gymnasium for the benefit of those working it, is purpose-built so that all functions of the department are connected to a centra­lised inquiries desk and counter.    

What is most promising though, is the department’s electronic land information and management system. 

The use of a proven software developed by Technology One Pty Ltd, a Queensland-based company specialising in government information systems, is set to transform the way the department has been doing business. 

The technology will not only cut down on time spent in processing land documents but safeguard against any fraudulent activities such as producing fake land titles.

All land files will be held in one area and managed by an officer specifically tasked and if anything goes missing, tracing it will be as simple as punching in a code on a keyboard. 

We share Secretary Romily Kila-Pat’s optimism that the electronic land information system will reduce chances for any under-the-table deals and other undesirable activities that have plagued this department for years and become a legacy of sorts.

In a move to open up to the public, when the new office becomes fully operational, there will be an open day during which people will see for themselves how the department functions. This will make the department more transparent and customer friendly. It is hoped that the public will appreciate the department better.

The public perception of a department riddled with corruption, fuelled in no small part by the media, should be made to fade away gradually then.

The State has spent K23 million initially for the land information system and enhancements over five years may push that cost to K35 million.  That cost, according to the departmental head, can be recovered in a year.  

Over the years, many a genuine and committed departmental head had tried to correct the flaws and inefficiencies and cumbersome legislative requirements to get the department operating efficiently and with the respect of the public but with little success.  

The DLPP and the National Housing Corporation, which deal with matters land and housing, have for so long been viewed by many as the two most corrupt in the public sector.

These perceptions have arisen from individuals’ fru­strations and sometimes even the actions of a few officers in these state entities themselves. 

The DLPP has started a process of cleaning and removing officers who have comprised their duty with personal interests. A number of senior officers have been put on notice and will be removed, Kila-Pat said.

It may take a while before the department is rid of the its past and takes on a new path of service delivery but the good news is the process has started with the opening of a building all to itself and the necessary technology.

Kila-Pat and his staff must be given the benefit of the doubt. However, a new office complex and technology alone cannot solve the department’s problems; the next big worry is how to retain the well trained and experienced people to make things happen.

A lot of money has been spent on training technical staff, not only from the DLPP but other government agencies as well.  These valuable personnel leave soon after to join private companies such as those in the extractive industries sector.

This is for the simple reason that the working and living conditions offered out there are far superior to public service conditions.

We hope the government and the Personnel Management Department will stem the exodus of skilled workers from the public service.