It’s time for decentralisation
PAPUA New Guinea needs to decentralise some or not all of the powers back to provinces and districts to function better.
Decentralisation was emphasised more by one of PNG founding fathers, Sir Julius Chan.
By decentralising some of the powers and responsibilities back to the provinces it will help them address issues affecting them without waiting for the Waigani decisions, which normally causes delays.
Waigani has become a bottleneck in terms of bringing services which acts as a remote control.
The 22 provinces have their own unique problems to address.
Having vast landmass starting from the coast to the highlands, PNG is diverse in terms of geography, geopolitics and cultures.
Having government services delivered to each province is difficult and time-consuming at most times.
Governors and local MPs always come to Waigani to seek funds such as health, education, agriculture and tourism which are supposed to be fully decentralised to their own provinces and only monitored from Waigani.
By decentralising, we will help ease the backlog of work, increase efficiency and save more time and money.
Decentralisation will empower each province to function better, effectively and efficiently.
When everything is centralised in the nation’s capital, many MPs are seen residing here in Port Moresby, some rarely go to their electorates.
This causes people to move to Port Moresby in search of better lives instead of remaining in their provinces.
The Government needs to relook at all its delivery machineries and overhaul the system by decentralising powers back to provinces.
Many debates have been going on in Parliament with governors talking about prolonged delays by the Ministers responsible who have their offices in the Nation’s capital.
By applying and using decentralising mechanisms effectively it will tremendously help the delivery of government services to reach people.
Our citizens will access government services right at their doorsteps without flying to Port Moresby every time for approvals or follow and decentralisation of powers and responsibilities can make that happen.
Maru Igabi
5 comments
YES! EMPOWER THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT. WAIGANI HAS MANY WHITE COLLAR THIEVES IN DISGUISE, THE CAUSE OF UNDERDEVELOPMENT IN MOST RURAL AREARS AND THE DOWNFALL OF THE COUNTRY’S ECONOMY IN GENERAL. ELIMINATE THE WHITE COLLAR BY EMPOWERING PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTS VIA THE ACT OF DECENTRALISATION. LET THE NEC DEAL WITH NATIONAL ISSUES WHILST THE PEC TO DEAL WITH PROVINCIAL ISSUES.
Perhaps it is time to send all the highlanders home and have them govern the highlands and Central people to have there own government! New Guinea and Papua are not compatible and wealth is taken by the majority of highland politicians as it stands now, where are the the royalties for central people for the use of there land to export minerals, gas oil across there lands? why is that highlands people can take land in central but if central did that in the highlands the highlanders would kill them, so where is the equality?
Mind you they are not just taking the land, I have lived in Pom and see that you Papuans also are selling you fortue and your future generations fortunes to them. So don’t talk about someone taking your land they are not the cause, they bargain and you feel desperate to get that little cash that does not have much value than your future generations lives.
I STRONGLY SUPPORT THIS ARTICLE AS IT SPEAKS THE THOUGHT OF MANY PEOPLE IN THEIR PROVINCE.
There is definitely the need to strengthen our control systems and processes in the Provinces before power is decentralized to the provinces. Many Provinces do not have the resources or skills to manage themselves nor the technical capacity and infrastructure. Previous failures in managing provinces effectively as was during the Provincial Premiere days can not be forgotten easily.
By the way, do not forget Provinces also have thieves in goats skin lingering and waiting to strike rich quickly too.
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