Local wants check on district services

By JAYNE SAFIHAO
A CONCERNED former intending candidate, Daniel Muturam, wants a nationwide audit of district service delivery to be conducted to support the government’s Vision 2050 objectives.
From Bogia, one of the least developed districts in Madang where nearly all basic government services have ground to a halt, Muturam said yesterday with health, law and order, education and other vital government services dysfunctional or non-existent, the onus was on the accountability and transparency of the public service machinery in the districts.
“I call upon the government of the day to appoint an investigating team to do a nationwide audit of district officers,” he said.
“Are basic vital services reaching the bulk of the rural populace or are we only pretending to do our jobs?
“If we don’t have the necessary resources to effectively serve then we should close down all services,” he said.
He said the only health centre serving the 57,000 people of Bogia had closed down because of disputes with landowners over the non-payment of promised compensation for the land where the hospital is.
“We have a situation in Bogia where public servants are running around pretending to work when they are not effectively resourced.
“This audit team, which I think should be set up, will check whether money from either the District Support Improvement Programme or other income for the district are actually sent to them to do their jobs.
“If money has been given how much and where is it going to? Are public servants actually working or getting paid for doing nothing because there is no fuel, toner, ink, vehicle, or man-power.”
Muturam said people talked about providing services but services in districts nationwide were lacking, with Bogia being a classic case.
“Let’s stop pretending. How well do the rural populace know about the government’s Vision 2050?
“I think hardly anyone knows.
“With this district performance indicator, we will make members of parliament and their district administrators answerable,” he said.