It’s now time for MPs to do the job

THE time is now for MPs to roll up their sleeves and get to work.
Get to work means listing their priorities after talking to the people – not just government officials – on the ground, planning how funds will be used, and fulfilling the promises they made to the people in their electorates to be elected.
And from what we heard during the election campaign, there had been quite a lot.
The governors will have a longer list considering they are covering the needs of the whole province.
The 111 MPs must not make the mistake of some in the past who hang around in Port Moresby for four years and only return to their people when the next general election looms.
As Prime Minister Peter O’Neill rightly points out, MPs who neglect their electorates must not complain if they fail to retain their seats.
The voters are better educated and informed today.
They cannot be fooled any longer.
The have realised how they had been fooled and misled in the past and want to have honest and sincere leaders.
To be more effective on the delivery of service and coordination of projects within a province, it is advisable that all district MPs work together.
Working in isolation is counter-productive.
Some such as the National Capital District, Jiwaka, Northern and Morobe have already formed their networks to see how they can assist each other out.
MPs too must remember that they represent all the people in the district or province they were elected from, not just those who voted for them.
They could have found that out easily during the counting process which ballot boxes belonged to which area that supported other candidates.
And voters want to see their MPs based in the districts. They want to see them there when Parliament is not sitting.
They must be there to administer, manage and direct the affairs of the districts and provinces.
Regardless of which side of the House an MP sits, the voters want services delivered to them and development taking place to improve their living standards. That’s the bottom line.
They are entitled to public service irrespective of which side of Parliament their MP sits.
District MPs receive K10 million for the Provincial Service Improvement Programme funding each of the five years.
Everyone should be taking stock of the developments taking place in terms of social advancement and economic prosperity.
The voters have a right to demand service from their MPs and public servants.
They will not be wrong to put pressure on the MPs if they see development projects stalled.
And funding for 2018 will depend on acquittals by each of the 111 MPs submitted to the Department of Implementation and Rural Development by March 31.
Rather than just accepting the acquittal reports, officers from the DIRD and the National Planning and Monitoring department are going to visit the districts to verify whether projects have really been expedited.
Since funds are being distributed right down to the district level, the accountability process must be strident so auditing must also be done at the district and provincial levels.
The reports submitted to the DIRD in Waigani may not be telling the full story.
MPs have five years to make everything they had promised the people happen. Five years is not long.
The 2022 general election is just around the corner so to speak. Time flies.
MPs must take heed of that.