Office should regain it’s respect

THE Office of the State Solicitor is a constitutional office established under the Constitution of PNG.
The office plays a key role in providing well-researched legal advice to the Government.
Government departments and other state agencies also rely on the advice from the Office of the State Solicitor.
Apart from the provision of advices, the office is also responsible for issuing legal clearances of agreements.
The office is also responsible for overseeing contracts of employments for senior public servants.
However, it has been observed that the office has been too slow in providing legal advice and issuing clearances to Government agencies and departments.
There are unclear contracts of employments for senior public servants.
These public servants have been appointed by the head of state through the recommendations of the National Executive Council.
Some of these contracts of employments have taken more than six months in the office pending legal clearances.
While this is happening, the responsible senior public servants’ ages whose contracts are pending are reaching their retirement ages.
For the outstanding legal advisers, many of these cases have been there for more than seven months.
What is the problem?
If the problem is with the manpower, why can the state solicitor in consultation with Department of Personnel Management create more positions for lawyers to apply so that they can deliver timely advices?
But if it is mere professional negligence on the part of the existing legal officers in providing legal advice, the management should do something to ensure that the office regains the respect it once had.
Over to you Dr Eric Kwa as the responsible secretary.

Mansi Munsi
Boroko