Governors at crossroads: Bird

EAST Sepik Governor Allan Bird says the Government has directed significant resources to districts over the last 10 years but without consistent auditing and transparency.
The amendment to the Constitution on the Organic Law on decentralisation will repeal the provisions on the provincial and local level governments replacing it with new decentralised governments.
Bird in response to the current amendment to the Provincial and Local Level Government (PLLG), told The National that the government had been bypassing provincial governments in favour of districts in terms of funding through the district services improvement programme (DSIP) to district development authorities (DDAs).
He said they (governors) were at the crossroads so Papua New Guinea had a choice to either abolish provincial governments and keep going on its current path or strengthen provincial governments.
“It can’t have both. My view is that either way is fine. Make a decision and stick with it,” he said.
“If they abolish provincial governments and I no longer have a political role, that’s fine with me.
“So long as the country is better off by not having provincial governments and governors, then it’s a good idea.
“Like most governors, I want whatever is good for PNG.
“Thus, far we support full powers to Enga, New Ireland, and East New Britain as pilot provinces for autonomy, if that’s the way government wants to go,” Bird said.
Northern Governor Gary Juffa on the other hand said a lot of the amendments to the Organic Law on PLLGs was positive as there would be greater powers to the provinces.
Juffa said governors were just confused because of a report from 2014 that was distributed during the conference.