Party eyes more external help

ELECTION 2022

By ALPHONSE BARIASI
A SCHOOL curriculum that is the same as Australia’s, the engagement of foreign police managers and public service housing are amongst the agenda that People’s Party would want to push for in the next government.
Party general secretary and former journalist Willie Palme discussed briefly some of his party’s polices earlier this week when he came by to sign off the final proof of his party candidates’ posters.
“We have 41 candidates in this election, all highly capable and experienced, such as former MPs, executives and successful business people.
Interestingly, all four of People’s Party female candidates in this election are vying for the urban electorates of the National Capital District.
They are Sylvia Pascoe (NCD Regional), Tania Bale (Moresby North East), Anna Kavana Bais (Moresby North West) and Michelle Hau’ofa (Moresby South).
People’s Part founder, Enga Governor Sir Peter Ipatas has relinquished its leadership to his Jiwaka counterpart Dr William Tongamp and is content that his name appears on the 2022 election posters as party founder.
The party’s other sitting MPs hoping to retain their seats are Community Development Minister Wake Goi (Jimi) and Fisheries and Marine Resources Minister Dr Lino Jeremiah Tom (Wabag).
Palme said the party was proud of what the current MPs had accomplished for their respective electorates and or ministreis. While first-timer Tom has been ranked by some to be among the best performing MPs, Palme points out that their other MPs have done similarly well. Jiwaka Governor Tongamp for example, as leader of a newly created province, has delivered for his province under the circumstances, he says.
Former MPs endorsed by the party are Tony Puana in Kandrian-Gloucester, Lauta Atoi in North Bougainville and Guma Wau in Kerowagi.
Former PNG Ports chief executive officer Stanley Alphonse is running for the Kundiawa-Gembogl seat while a number of successful businessmen have also nominated under People’s Party to contest the 2022 election.
The party’s push to have overseas police officers provide management and guidance to the local constabulary, is based on the general perception that the rule of law has been so compromised and law enforcement has declined drastically.
The police force has been unable to properly manage law enforcement and a result, corruption and white collar crime have grown significantly, Palme says.
“Police are running after people who who do things like stealing out of necessity to survive while the big criminals are left alone,” Palme points out.
“That is why we need outside advisors to be attached to our police force for at least 10 years to restore peace and harmony in our society and restore integrity within the force. Bring back Australians or New Zealanders to work with our police force.
“We could even go further by bringing in foreign judges to sit on our high courts. We have excellent laws but they are no good if we don’t enforce them effectively.”
As for education, the party executive says Peoples Party had championed free education which was adopted by the People’s National Congress-led government a few years ago.
“As a party, we not only want free education but quality free education. For this to happen, again we need to look at the Australian education curriculum and consider using the same here. Australia’s education system is among the best in the world today.
“We had used the Australian education system and teachers in the years prior to independence and that worked very well. If you compare the writing and comprehension skills of people educated in the colonial days with the present lot of secondary school and university graduates there is a marked difference,” Palme says.
“Australia has started our education system here so why not let them improve it? Quality education is not there. We want quality education. We want improved teaching and school infrastructure with the mandatory inclusion of computing and information technology in this modern age.”
The efficiency of the public service machinery is another area that needs a huge input of capital and management expertise to bring it up to the level it was operating at immediately after independence in the 1980s.
In the area of service delivery, the difference between the role of public servants and elected officials is still clouded so much that politicians are doing public service work and public servants find themselves without work, Palme says.
“Politicians and public servants must know their jobs. We want to ensure efficiency in the running of the public service. One major impediment to efficiency in the public service that we have identified is lack of proper housing. To address this, why don’t we tie superannuation contributions by public servants to housing so each new eligible public servant starts with an affordable home and pays for it through his normal super contributions. That way, we can ensure long term job security and improved performance by public servants.”
It will be a huge undertaking but one which can be done if the country’s wealth is better managed and spent, the Peoples Party believes. The party also proposes to improve public service performance and productivity in the formal economy generally through raising the minimum wage, compulsory insurance cover and a drastic reduction in personal income tax to leave sufficient money in workers’ bank accounts.
The party proposes that only those earning K50,000 annually should be taxed and at around 20 per cent, about half the current rate of personal income tax.
The party’s Green Policy calls for a K2 billion annual investment in the agriculture sector which would cover the major tree crops plus beef, grains and downstream processing of selected commodities.
In older democracies such as Australia which has just voted in a government based on party policies, constructive debates on such policy ideas would be a natrual procession into an election. But in PNG politics party policies still remain secondary to personalities.
Such ignorance and lack of mature debate unfortunately is the cause of so much confusion and needless violence as is already seen happening in parts of the country.
Extensive education and awareness on in political party policies is needed here so ensure the voter is guided largely by ‘what’ rather than ‘who’ to vote for.