Dion reveals LLG law will be reviewed

 THE Organic Law on Provincial Governments and Local Level Governments will be reviewed, according to Deputy Prime Minister Leo Dion.

He said in a statement the national government, supported by the Constitutional and Law Reform Commission, Department of Provincial and Local-level Government Affairs and other stakeholders, intended to collect insights and experiences from the Organic Law and then propose a version that suits the country in this century.  

“The two key areas that will be closely looked at are the political structure and service delivery and its mechanism.”

Dion said the provincial government system had been integral to the governing structure of the country since independence.  

“The decentralisation policy that was introduced in the 1970s mainly for the sake of national unity must now be re-adjusted so that it reflects more commitment to empowering people in provinces, especially in ways where they are more involved in the development of the country.”

He said PNG had a three-tier system of government (national, provincial and local level) and four levels of administration (national, provincial, district and local-level).

“Renowned inherent issues that have to be addressed particularly at the lower levels of government include limited qualified manpower capacity, lack of administrative facilities and bad governance and maladministration,” he said.

“Whichever way the political structure is shaped, the national government must be able to cater for the basic needs of the people through the most efficient channels – and that is the essence of service delivery.

“In short, the political structure and service delivery are two sides of the same coin.”