Process followed, says PM

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By HELEN TARAWA
PRIME Minister James Marape says the recent appointment of senior public servants to government departments and state agencies had followed due process.
Marape, in response to questions about the recent appointment of David Ganaii as secretary of the Department of Commerce and Industry and Kiria Kontage as acting director-general of the National Narcotics Bureau, said Ganaii was appointed by the National Executive Council effective May 16, 2022.
His appointment was questionable as there was no announcement to staff at the department.
There were concerns raised by staff within the department that normal protocol was not followed after Ganaii’s appoinment.
The normal protocol for any state agency is that a written circular would be issued confirming the secretary’s appointment for a four-year term as a clear public declaration because the position was still deemed vacant after it was advertised in the media.
Kotange on the other hand, was appointed on May 8 for three months.
His appointment remains questionable and it is understood that the Public Service Commission was not consulted on this appointment.
According to reports from within government departments, the National Narcotics Bureau is now dysfunctional again as it was in 2016.
The bureau was now operating at Morauta House and the staff continued to receive salary without doing anything.
It is claimed that they signed in and out but were not performing any duties as required by the Public Service General Orders.
The National Narcotics Control Board (NNCB) comprising distinguished leaders, who were instrumental in resurrecting the bureau, had also been abolished.