Govt eyes reforms for new year

THE Government will update the Census, fix the common roll and prepare the nation for the 2022 national election, says Prime Minister James Marape.
This would be the key activities for the new year which Marape highlighted in his New Year message.
“We are thinking of introducing biometric voting too for one-person one-vote for a cleaner and better voting process,” he said.
Another important focus area was making land available to Papua New Guineans for first-time home-ownership applicants, including converting settlements to suburbs.
In the education sector, Marape said the Government, through an affordable education policy, would be paying majority school fees (63 per cent) for primary and secondary schools. “We are directing more national education expenditure to assist tertiary students with continuation of student scholarships as well as our Government’s flagship student loan (Help) programme,” he said.
“We also allocated funding for school infrastructure directly through our universities (including new mess for Unitech) and colleges as well as through districts and provincial services improvement programme funds.
“We are mass rolling out Flexible Open Distance Education (Fode) plus Technical and Vocational Education Training (Tvet) with small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) courses for those who left schools at grades 8 to 12.”
Marape said in the health sector, the Government would introduce a specific provincial hospital programme which would see five of the 16 provincial hospitals developed. As part of the plan, Bougainville will be made a major referral hospital.
Port Moresby and Lae hospitals were now being developed as specialist hospitals for heart, kidney, liver and cancer patients.
“We are working to fix and strengthen our medical schools and nursing colleges,” he said.
“We started an anti-gender violence lobby group led by MPs like East Sepik Governor Allan Bird, Oro Governor Gary Juffa and NCD Governor Powes Parkop and others.
“The Government has started the path of empowering provincial governments, especially for the three pilot provinces – New Ireland, East New Britain, Enga and Bougainville – will be fully empowered. We will continue the efforts of law and justice, including modernising police, deliver a modern electronic judiciary and complete the K300 million Waigani Court Complex.
“We will institutionalise the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac), we will implement Whistleblowers’ Act, Proceeds of Crimes Act and undisclosed wealth laws.
“We will reform the Ombudsman Commission to strengthen its functions and use the Correctional Services as a place of training inmates using second chance education and SME training.”
Marape said the PNG Defence Force would coordinate a national volunteer scheme in partnership with districts for unengaged youths, including dispatching those disciplined ones for Australian labour and work, as well as in-country work, further education or micro to small-medium enterprise link-ups.
“2020 has been a difficult year with many challenges, including the worst global pandemic in a century, which affected PNG and the global economy.
“And, of course, many other challenges, including politics, have had negative tolls on our country but by God’s grace we continue to survive.
“We are a reformist government trying to do better for all our people, irrespective of age, tribe, church or political affiliations, so I ask all to rally together in supporting one another and your country.
“Have hope and faith in yourself and your country, help contribute to the development of your country where God has placed you in.”