DSIP, PSIP recipes for rampant corruption

 THE district services improvement programme (DSIP) is a totally misguided concept that must be immediately abolished if tangible development is to be seen and felt in the districts. 

Similarly, the provincial services improvement programme (PSIP) must be abolished. 

Both concepts are a recipe for rampant corruption, placing taxpayers’ money and development grants directly in the hands of politicians who are supposed to be legislators and not cheque-bearers. 

The MPs chair the joint district and provincial planning and budget priority committee (JDP/JPP & BPCs). 

These committees are totally politicised with committee members comprising mostly of local-level government (LLG) presidents, councillors and one or two community representatives mainly from the church or women and youths. 

By its operation, the MP can still get three committee members to agree and sign-off on projects that he/she wishes to fund, even if the other members object 

The office of rural development (ORD) should not be just sitting in Waigani and receiving bogus acquittals from MPs on the use of their DSIPs and PSIPs. 

It is time the ORD make an honest stand and call for the scrapping of this ill-conceived services implementation mechanism. 

MPs are jumping like yo-yos from the opposition to government ranks because of not wanting to miss out on DSIPs and PSIPs, thus weakening the principles of informed parliamentary debates on policies and legislations as well as maintaining a sound and vibrant opposition, which holds the government accountable. 

Because of the DSIP and PSIP, MPs are becoming ‘jacks of all trades’. 

MPs are now accounts clerks, district treasurers, administrators and planners; so where does that leave those bureaucrats who are rightfully paid by the government to do these jobs? 

They are rendered useless and roam around doing little or nothing, thus making the government’s call for public servants to perform more complicated. 

Freddy Gigs

Brisbane