Abal: Politics not for civil servants

By KEVIN PAMBA
ACTING Prime Minister Sam Abal has called on public servants to do their work and leave politics to politicians.
Abal said with the 2012 general election less than a year away, politicians would be on their toes, “but public servants have no reason to be involved in politics”.
“With the elections coming up next year, you (public servants) may have to excuse us politicians as we may have one eye on politics and the other on work,” Abal told department heads and senior civil servants at the Madang Resort Hotel last Friday.
“You have to excuse us; but you have no reason to be involved but work to serve our people,” Abal told the bureaucrats.
The senior public servants were in Madang for a two-day working retreat where they drew up the “Ethics and values-based leadership and management development framework” for the public service.
As part of the framework, a 17-point Kalibobo Declaration was signed by the department heads, the acting prime minister and the president of Divine Word University, Fr Jan Czuba, for the university to provide  management and leadership training for public servants.
Abal told the public servants what they had done in the two-day workshop was important and they had to “put meat to the bone” by making them work.
“As a result of the discussions and workshop activities you have developed the foundations of an executive leadership and management development framework designed to promote ethical, effective and efficient leadership,” he said.
“This is truly valuable work which will enhance the professionalism of PNG public servants and will contribute to significant improvements in service delivery.”
Abal was accompanied by Attorney-General and Justice Minister Sir Arnold Amet and Inter-Government Relations Minister Job Pomat.