OC does not handle vacancy ad

Letters, Normal
Source:

The National, Monday, May 9, 2011

I REFER to the letter to the editor by one Maria Ke­tepa of Bristol, UK, entitled “Ad­vertise va­cant po­sition, OC” (The National, May 3).
The letter may have raised a lot of questions, suspicion and perhaps cast doubt in the public that the Ombudsman Commission is responsible for the advertisement when a term of a member of the commission is about to expire.
The appointing autho­rity for members of the OC is the head of state, acting with, and in accordance with, the advice of the Ombudsman Ap­point­ments Committee.
The system of making ombudsman appointments in Papua New Gui­nea, whereby appointments are made, not by the government but on the advice of an independent bi-partisan committee, is quite different from the system which applies in most other countries hence, the establishment of the Ombudsman Ap­pointments Committee as a specific recommendation of the Constitutional Planning Committee which saw it as a vehicle by which careful and considered om­buds­man ap­pointments would be made.
Of all the appointing authorities for high public office in Papua New Guinea, the Ombudsman Appointments Committee is the largest with the most representative.
In response to the question by the writer, I was not consulted despite making myself and the OC available for any assistance through Manly Ua, secretary for the National Executive Council and the Om­budsman Appointment Committee on or about March 3.
Ua’s advice to me was that he will put the advertisement in the place on March 9 to cater for the three-month period before the position becomes vacant on May 9.
He further advised that he will seek assistance, if required.
Hence, it is not for me to explain why there was no advertisement on the im­pending vacancy.

 

Chronox Manek
Chief Ombudsman