Finding rot is only the beginning

 POPONDETTA town, in Northern Province, is a short flight over the Owen Stanley Range from Port Moresby. 

Apart from its close proximity the provincial capital is as far removed from the capital city as is Vanimo, in West Sepik, Lorengau, in Manus, and Tari, in Hela.

Historically, Northern has been hit by two of the country’s worst natural disasters – the 1951 Mt Lamington volcanic eruption and Cyclone Guba in 2007. The aftermath of Guba is still felt by the people to this day. 

In between and after those two natural calamities, the province has had its fair share of criminal activity, which was at some point, per capita, much higher than other larger urban centres in the country.

Add to that an apparent lack of continuity in strong political leadership that has paid dividends elsewhere in the country,  a provincial bureaucracy weak and open to abuse, social and economic infrastructure that has deteriorated over time due to both human neglect and natural disasters, Northern lags far behind most other provinces. 

Enter Governor Gary Juffa, the former commissioner of Papua New Guinea Customs. Juffa is among the new crop of national leaders who are young and eager to change the old political landscape.

He is perhaps the most vocal and eloquent governor so far in the current Parliament who hardly minces words and makes his stand on national issues abundantly clear.

Juffa makes no apology for his attempts at clearing up the public service of the rot and apathy that have contributed to a large extent to Oro’s overall poor performance as a province over the years.

This week he made some shocking revelations of the kind of activity or non-activity that pervades and hinders the public service in the province. 

He shoots straight by recommending disciplinary action including criminal prosecution. 

Though Juffa may be taken aback by the level of corruption that has been allowed to take root in Northern’s public service, the situation can easily be multiplied 20 times elsewhere in the country.

There has been a legacy of inefficiency and apathy over the years made possible by the weak and cumbersome systems and persons placed there. 

The revelations by Juffa this week of corruption by civil servants or others posing as working for the government do not come as a total surprise. 

What has happened in Popondetta may not be an isolated case and provides a general picture of what has become a legacy of the public service in the country.

In out of the way places such as Popondetta and at district centres, activities such as what Juffa has complained about are aplenty. 

It only requires more Gary Juffas to take a critical look into the affairs of provincial and district administrative centres in order to enable desperately needed improvements to the public service in the country.

The sad reality in all this is there are in the main, very genuine public servants who love their jobs but their honest efforts are thwarted by a few who are less committed and slack. 

And there are those who believe it is their right to collect a fortnightly salary like the Oro public servant who has been absent from work for years so long as the systems are unable to prevent it from happening.

Even the hardworking public servants are made to suffer along with the rest of us because of what their colleagues do and let happen.

The uncovering of corruption is but a start. 

It should be followed through with disciplinary action including criminal prosecution and recovery of public money where possible.  

Juffa was understandably shocked when he found out that a public servant recommended for disciplinary action or police prosecution was still walking free.  

The Oro Provincial Government and the public service leadership there should fully back Juffa in taking a hard stance against graft in the public service and elsewhere in the province.  

What the province may lack in wealth from natural resources other provinces have, it can make up for with a small efficient public service. 

What the province does not need is selfish people purporting to be civil servants whose only agenda is to make a make quick kina from the public purse but give back nothing back to the province.