No transparency in formation of govt

 THE office of the prime minister has been the subject of much spotlight and public interest in recent months.

The people of PNG have been following the health of Sir Michael Somare until last Tuesday when the political scene took a twist that led to the formation of a new government. 

The people should not be caught by surprise as it is our right to be kept informed of any vacancy in the office of the prime minister or any change of government.

The people ought to have been gi­ven notice of any impending change, especially the formation of a new government or election of a prime minister. 

The manner in which the government was formed has now created uncertainty, anxiety, uneasiness and suspicion. 

Let’s forget the legal technicalities allowing for change of government, the minimum standard that the people demand is that “justice must not only be done, but it must be seen to be done”.

The new government has done injustice to the people of PNG by acting in this manner and, as a result, it has raised doubts about the real motives behind this change of government. 

How is that so? 

1. The new government has some “bad apples” from the previous “corrupt government”. As they say, the government is a good as the people who run it; 

2. It gained power through a political coup, catching the people of PNG by surprise;

3. It did not allow the due process to take its course, before declaring a vacancy in the office of the prime minister; and 

4. The government was changed in a very dramatic manner.

We note that the main driver behind the change is “corruption”. 

Corruption is “lack of transparency” and “due process”. 

The formation of the new government definitely has a lack of transparency and due process.

Isn’t this very act and the manner in forming the new government corruption in itself?

This is hypocrisy and looks bad in eyes of the public and international communities. 

This type of politics in the past has created instability and has caused a loss of investors’ confidence and trust at the international level. 

If this government is genuine, it must be formed in an open and transparent manner. 

History has shown that previous governments were formed in such manner were the most corrupt and unproductive. 

The former acting prime minister had ordered investigations into se­veral cases including the Nasfund deal, misuse at the Planning Department, SABL, etc. 

The immediate test of the government is to ensure the investigations are carried out and not delayed or thrown out.  

I call on Sam Basil, Powes Pakop and other young vibrant leaders to set a different leadership for PNG. 

If they are in the same bag of bad apples, they will also become bad. 

They must not compromise their values and principles.

They should pull out if they do not feel comfortable as the next general election is less than 10 months.

They must not let the people lose confidence in them. 

MT

Port Moresby