Need to review power in three-tier govt

THERE is a greater need to review the decentralisation of power and functions at the three levels of government because they are politicised and ineffective.
Research head of political division with the National Research Institute Dr Alphonse Gelu said this in his presentation during the NRI road show presentation at the Sir Peter Barter Auditorium at the Divine Word University in Madang yesterday.
Dr Gelu said there were three waves of changes made in decentralising the powers to the lower level of government since 1975 but the recent amendments in 2002 where the powers of the provincial government was taken away to the national level was for the benefit interest of the national parliamentarians, who seem to be vested with all the powers.
He said decentralisation of power was evolving or changing every time in the political history of this nation.
He said although PNG had a democratic system of governance, it was a unitary system because all the powers rest with the top level while the lower levels of governments had been politicised when it should be an administrative function with the powers being decentralised.