PM wants commission by mid-year

By SHIRLEY MAULUDU
PRIME Minister James Marape says he hopes to have the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) Bill and Whistleblowers Act passed in Parliament by the middle of the year.
Marape told members of the business community during a breakfast event in Port Moresby yesterday that this would be part of the Government’s role to give confidence to the private sector and provide a conducive environment for them to operate in.
“We would like to ensure that you are doing business in a safer environment, and that includes our intention as government to fight corruption at the highest order,” he said.
“Later on this year, if not, by the mid part of this year, our Independent Commission Against Corruption Bill as well as Whistleblowers Act will come into passage in Parliament to be effected as part of our commitment to ensure that not only our fiscal infrastructure is built, but that people and our society can truly have a solid platform in which our economy grows and is given the right spin as we move into the future,” he said.
“We will try everything to ensure this before Parliament this year and at the earliest.”
However, Marape added that some efforts would be made to ensure that the law complemented existing laws.
He said it was important the new laws matched the existing ones and did not allow the possibility for misinterpretation and abuse.
“We especially will ensure that the Ombudsman’s role is clearly defined and ICAC’s role is clearly defined and as with the police,” Marape said.
He also told about 800 representatives from the private sector entities and heads of missions to report any act of bribery they encountered.