Privatisation key to PNG Power’s future

PNG Power limited is burdened with chronic management issues. 

The new board appointed should put in strategies to solve these issues for the benefit of both the customers and PPL employees. Employees are often aggrieved by any changes occurring within PNG power limited. 

While this is going on and on, customers are suffering and longing to see consistency of electricity services.

Every day there are blackouts hitting towns and cities. 

In the Highlands region, towns like Kundiawa  in Chimbu province experience blackouts three to four times a day. 

Customers have to put up with and adjust to these power disruptions, which lead to other problems.

PPL work men face challenges every week and have to overcome obstacles just to make sure electricity is restored.

Despite all these hiccups paying customers want to have continuous power supply uninterrupted for longer period of time. 

This would ensure good productivity.

PNG Power is a technical entity and needs technical expertise to overhaul this much-maligned state-owned entity.

There is infighting by employees for executive positions and it seems there is no good command and control in the organisation.

The new board should implement strategies to completely transform PNG

Power and put it on the road to profitability. 

PPL is in a similar situation like former PNG Banking Corporation.

The state-owned bank was a sleeping giant as seen by former Prime Minister Mekere Morauta who advocated privatisation of all government business entities and assets.

Under his watch PNGBC was sold to BSP despite stiff opposition. 

And see what the result is today; BSP is making profit after

profit in hundreds of millions of kina every year. 

Morauta’s foresight in seeing good profitable future for state entities through privatization should be followed.

PPL privatization was mooted during the end of the reign of Mekere Morauta, but was stalled due to political power play. 

Had it had been, it would have been successful.

Unlike PNGBC, PPL is highly technical and needs technical business experts to transform it,  let alone privatise it. 

The best technical and business brains should combine to steer PPL to prosperity.

Former PPL chairman Larry Andagali has business skills and experience and should have been given moretime to overhaul PPL technical and business operations.

Andagali started what is seen as a firm grounding for PPL’s transformation into a viable and profitable entity in future. 

The thing that cripples this sleeping giant is that the Cabinet is the appointing authority for PPL board members. 

The simple answer to solving these ongoing PPL management and operational issues is to fully privatise it and leave it to the best profit driven business experts to run it.

Pascal Murake

Yogomugl, Chimbu