Decision to cut funds hailed

EAST Sepik Governor Allan Bird, pictured, has welcomed the Government’s call to slash the provincial and district services improvement programme (PSIP and DSIP) funds to support a supplementary budget.
Bird told The National that “at least Prime Minister James Marape was being honest and not lying about it”.
“For East Sepik, K8 million was cut in 2017, we only got K2 million. Then in 2018, K3 million was cut and we only got K7 million,” he said
“So this year, it will be cut by K2 million to fund the supplementary budget so we still get K8 million. The good thing is that he (Marape) is honest about it.”
Gazelle MP Jelta Wong also told The National: “We all need to be considerate of how much we spend, whether in the family environment or working environment and this also includes the government.
“This government has previously advised that we need to stop borrowing and return this country to a stronger financial position. Therefore, as politicians we also need to be conscious of spending.
“And if that involves reducing DSIP for the greater good, as leaders, we must be the first to support it.
“Let’s all help to achieve making the country great. Sometimes a little sacrifice can lead to a greater future.”
Eastern Highlands Governor Peter Numu, from the Opposition, told The National that they had only received K7 million out of the K40 million functional grant.
Numu said his province was big and with cuts already in its functional grant, a slash in PSIP and DSIP “will definitely affect the province”.
“I totally disagree with it as I use my PSIP to run the projects that are still outstanding,” Numu said.
“The government should instead cut down on other expenditures that won’t affect the functions of the country.
“Accelerate the internal revenue by putting more efforts into IRC/Custom etc and strengthen state-owned entities by passing legislation that they have compulsory obligation to pay dividends to the national government.
“They must also get corrupt people prosecuted and put behind bars and put CIDs in each department/agencies and state-owned entities to monitor fund transactions.”
Kerema MP Richard Mendani, also from the Opposition, told The National that “the government was just trying to penalise the districts for its incompetency”.
Meanwhile, Wewak MP Kevin Isifu said he hoped that it was one cut only.
“The effect is that under-resourced district development authorities and provincial governments, they may not successfully implement their five-year district and development plans,” he said.
Prime Minister James Marape announced this week that PSIP and DSIPs would need to be slashed to fund a supplementary budget that would be presented in Parliament when it sat next month.