Koim: Help fight graft

National, Normal
Source:

The National, Tuesday 3rd January 2012

INVESTIGATION Task Force Sweep chairman Sam Koim says corruption is a deterrent to the nation’s development which denies people basic goods and services.
In his New Year message, Koim said this year would be a critical year given the 2012 general election and that the government that “forms after this election will manage the first fruits of some significant resource-based projects, including the LNG pro­ject”.
Koim warned that greed must not corrupt the nation’s resources managers so that they denied citizens real and tangible benefits derived from the resource sector economic boom.
“While the power to select the leaders is vested in the people, it is this office’s hope that through our work, a strong deterrence message about corruption is instilled in our people so that those who are entrusted with the power to govern must govern responsibly for the benefit of all,” he said.
“Corruption will no doubt deny our people the real and tangible benefits of the resource sector driven economic boom.
“We have to rid corruption or it will rid us. We have to clean up PNG before we turn over a new page,” Koim said.