Non-debate kills reports

 By ADRIAN MATHIAS

EVERY inquiry report tabled in Parliament for debate is killed because no MP would want to have it debated, Public Accounts Committee chairman John Hickey says.

Hickey said most MPs, if not all, would refuse to debate on the PAC findings or reports when they were tabled in Parliament over the years.

“PAC’s job is to prepare the report and table it in Parliament for debate and recommendation. But so far no MP had shown any interest in it,” Hickey said on Wednesday after the inquiry into the affairs of the Central Supply and Tenders Board.

He said if MPs stopped thinking about themselves and put people first, they would help the people a lot in all aspects of life.

Hickey told reporters that this could be the last time PAC was officiating the inquiry if funding continued to be the problem.

“I am cancelling this inquiry for an indefinite period until we receive adequate funding from Parliament,” Hickey said on Wednesday.

Out of the 14 PAC members, only Koroba-Kopiago MP Philip Undialu and Hickey were present to conduct the inquiry into the affairs of Madang provincial government, Works and Implementation Department and Central Supply Tenders Board this week.

Hickey and Undialu said they had to use their own money to officiate at the inquiry.