K10m each given to new provinces

TREASURY and Finance Minister Don Polye says K10 million each had been budgeted for the Hela and Jiwaka provinces.
He refuted in parliament media reports this week that the two new provinces had missed out on allocations in the 2012 Budget.
Directing his attack at the press gallery, Polye said the media and journalists should abide by their code of ethics and be professional about reporting instead of speculating.
“Leaders on the floor must be wary of information floating around that is far from the truth,” he said.
He said the media and people should check the Budget books to see that K10 million had been budgeted for Jiwaka and another K10 million for Hela.
Polye urged the media to visit the Treasury and Finance website to check on facts and figures before reporting.
The National editor in chief Frank Senge Kolma yesterday said the paper had mistakenly reported that the two new provinces had received no allocation.
“When they were not listed under the provincial allocations we interpreted, wrongly it turns out, that Jiwaka and Hela had missed out.
“We apologise to Finance and Treasury Minister Don Polye and his team for the mistake. It was not deliberate and no offence was intended. We stand corrected,” he said.
Polye said the media needed professionalism in the investigation and reporting of facts.
Polye took leave from the speaker to make a personal explanation on the media which he said lacked professionalism and investigative reporting.
He was referring to reports in the two dailies claiming that the Hela and Jiwaka provinces got nothing in the 2012 budget while all provinces received less funding in the 2012 budget.
He said professionalism in journalism was lacking in the way media reported events and one classical example was the reporting on the budget.
“Those are misleading reports and can have negative percussions on the good work of the government,’’ he said.
“I gave money to Hela who gets K10 million and I gave Jiwaka K10 million because I am a Hela man and also a Jiwaka man. Reports should be accurate and factual and not to mislead the people.”
Polye said the
interest of the state had to be protected and that was why he had to
make a personal explanation on the kind of media reporting in the country.