Paita admits cash flow issue

The National Main Stories
Salaries for MPs not paid for 10 days

By Rebecca Kuku
FINANCE Minister Rainbo Paita admits there are cash flow issues facing Government, made worse by the negative effects on the economy of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He was responding yesterday to the complaints by former and current Members of Parliament and their staff who had been waiting for 10 days to be paid. They finally received their pay yesterday.
Paita told The National there was a cash flow issue caused by the Covid-19 operations around the country.
Gulf Governor Chris Haiveta told The National that the late payment of salaries caused by the cash flow problem had been going on since last year.
“The pay has been late for 10 days now. It is an ongoing issue,” he said.
“We are broke.”
He said young leaders (MPs) failed to see it as “part of a bigger problem”.
Paita said the demand for cash from every agency of the Government was enormous. And the Government has been hit hard by the slump in revenue collection during the Covid-19 lockdown period.
But he said things were looking up.
“We are now picking up slowly and will rectify the (pay) issue today (yesterday),” he said.
Acting Parliament Clerk Kala Aufa also confirmed that MPs, both former and current, including their staff, had been waiting until yesterday for their salaries to be paid.
Aufa said although they were receiving their pay, the problem was that it was often being paid late, sometimes a week after the due date.
“They need to be paid on time so that they can survive in Port Moresby and look after their families,” Aufa said.
“So we had been calling the Finance Department and following up on it.
“Finally the salaries were paid today (yesterday).”

25 comments

  • Most of these Government employees are on fat pay cheques and may not be as adversely affected as the poor working class in the private sector. Especially MPs. Now look at them complaining because their pay is late. Consider the plight of the majority of private sector workers who are now either out of a job or on very much reduced pay due to this pandemic.
    So much for crying out loud. You should be ashamed of yourselves.

  • And why are the former MPs and their staff still on government payroll – where is the justification? People work to get paid – they cant be sitting at home doing nothing for the government but still get paid? Whatever parliamentary statutes/privileges that enable this to happen needs to be looked at again and revoked. How is this fair on hardworking people, eg..teachers we hear about teaching for 6 or more years without getting paid (we read about his in the newspapers), effectively contributing to nation building when there are a special group of people who don’t do any work for the government continue to get paid, start complaining when they don’t get the pay their deserve at all after only 10 days?

  • Paita thinking of himself and his fellow MPs. What about teachers who have not been paid for more than 6 -10 years? 10 days hardship can’t be compared with 10 years hardship. Paita not matured to handle the cashflow issue facing the country.

  • Only 10 days and they are complaining. Image if it is one month, or one year. How loud would their cry be? Other nations (eg: New Zealand politicians) can cut their pay for their citizens who are out of their job due to COVID 19, yet PNG politician are crying wolves for their salaries just 10 days late. How selfish and greedy are our politicians.

  • “They need to be paid on time so that they can survive in Port Moresby and look after their families,” Aufa said.
    “So we had been calling the Finance Department and following up on it.

    Go back to your electorates with your family and stay with your very people who mandated you!!!

    • They do not have electorates people appointed them to stay in Port Moresby and when its near 2022 they come back to their own electorate to do awareness with fake donations.

  • its only 10 day and MPs complaining, you people a paying grands and not like Teaches some of them have been paid less even some of them stay without pay for month,

  • Review and repeal the law that says the taxpayers will look after former MPs financially every fortnight until both the parliamentarian and non-parliamentarian spouse dies. What is this damn self-enrichment law orchestrated by the mandated leaders themselves. Is there sanity?! The already agonizing taxpayers cannot be further punished for nothing!

  • “They need to be paid on time so that they can survive in Port Moresby and look after their families,” Aufa said.
    you are not suppose to think about your fat tummy and your family here in port moresby. go back to your villages and try to support and invest in SMEs.
    its a shame if this MPs neglected. in other words in totally means that their policy dosen’t matter

  • Stupid MPs..so much money and the evidence is bowl bellies..cut your grease please leaders of food.

  • Politicians pay less tax and their tax home pay is huge. They should not be so uneasy about late payment of their salaries. They should be the last people to get paid. Justice not served for such workers like teachers in rural areas who are unpaid for 5 plus years.

  • Take that law of former members getting paid out of the system. It doesn’t look good and they are not deserved to be paid.
    Common sense must prevail. No work No food.

    frustrated tax payer.

  • So frustrating to read such childish act of the so called parliamentaries demanding for their dues to be paid on time. you get more than what ordinary PNGeans get. you dont feel how ordinary people of this great nation feel everyday. we sweat our guts out to make earns meet or sometimes caught and punished for selling betul nut on the streets. please PNG what is this????.. is it a real joke to mock ordinary hardworking citizens???

  • True leaders are people who deserve to be served last or even not at all. Thus the leaders of this country knew their job description only but nor the definition of LEADER that is why they are crying.

  • Leaders are people who deserves to be served last or not at all, however, leaders in this country only knew their job description and not the definition of LEADER technically. So halt their crying ASAP before their cries flood the Honorable floor of parliament coming June’s session,

  • just get right people to manage affairs of the country especially finance & treasury ministry . Get old dogs there and see how they manage it.

  • I can’t believe former MPs continue to get paid for doing absolutely nothing for the government or people of this country. What’s the justification here? We get heavily taxed in the private sector just to accommodate such unnecessary and selfish expenditures. This is unreal for a country facing an economic debacle and can’t even provide the very basic necessary services for its population. I wonder when our politicians will start to work for the people rather than work for themselves. It’s a sad, sad reality.

  • They don’t need to be paid. At least, they can sacrifice their salaries for the people. Too many fat pay cheques and too many fat pigs wondering around in Port Moresby and in the Parliament House.
    No Wonder so many of them will die of lifestyle diseases.

  • PNG is deeply corrupted because of the bad image from the dirty politicians. The Government haven’t payed the HELP loan program to assist students yet. And it is coming towards the end of the first semester and Universities threaten to send students home if the money is not payed. They set minimal date line for poor parents to meet the demand and yet those ungrateful, no one gives a shit about complaining about payment. What a shame for this great nation. Poor public servants and private sectors working day and night to feed them.

  • Total insanity. Why complain for salaries not paid in time? Learn to live on your own means rather than complaining because as an MP you are paid fat salaries and should learn to save some money for such times.

  • We all know that everyone working to serve do have to be paid but why is it so necessary that you polititians have to live a life of wealth than to live simple like every other working class citizens of this country when you are paid salaries highly than any other tax payers. Many working class men and women in all sectors do face such problems with their salaries but they do survive quietly and patiently and why is it so important for you polititians to cry out loud for yours than for the simple working class citizens of this country. And also why are we still paying the former polititians with our hard earned taxes.
    Very unfair.

  • You guys can do nothing with your salary, stealing the money for the poor people.
    You all will realize it one day.

  • Paita be careful, one of these members going to belt you up during the session time.

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