Same old litany of corruption

 REVELATIONS of massive corruption within the bureaucracy of the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) is indeed cause for great concern.

Corruption of the sort uncovered in Bougainville is a familiar story across Papua New Guinea.

Almost everything complained of in Bougainville is a familiar litany recited about most other provincial governments, departments and government agencies.

The “Sustainability of Bougainville” seminar was last week told that “Bougainville public servants are a law unto themselves seemingly answerable to nobody”. We have heard that one before and in many other places. Bougainville’s experience, dare we say, is not unique.

A claim was made that millions of kina have disappeared from the Bougainville government coffers with disclaimers issued for audit opinions. 

Heard that one too in almost all audit opinions presented by the Auditor-General on so many government bodies across PNG.

Deputy Auditor General Peter Siaparau told the seminar that no registers were kept for liquor outlets, motor vehicle registration, driver licence issuance. The same  person performed collection and banking.

Yes, that too sounds all too familiar.

And we could almost recite, from previous experience, that there would be no asset registers, no evidence of stock takes of assets, no records of purchases and disposals.

Without being told, we can safely bet that there would be instances where no tenders were called for many projects. If they were, there would be no prequalification.

Trust accounts, if they were kept, would be used outside of stipulated guidelines – if at all they existed.

These are familiar public accounts scenarios throughout PNG. 

We have dedicated so much space to decrying this and it continues unabated.

On the one hand, governments dedicate so much time to bring in money into the national coffers, often taxing citizens to poverty in the process.

On the other hand it is unable to secure the money brought in – it drains out of the coffers as fast as it has come in – often faster.

Managing and keeping track of the money pouring into the country is easy. It is far harder to keep track of how it is spent, where it is spent or who is spending it.

It is a free for all roller coaster and a privileged mob is riding it at the expense of the greater majority who wait faithfully for their government to deliver.

As sad as it is for the rest of PNG, it is a sadder case for Bougainville.

Bougainville is emerging from the ravages of a bloody insurgency that has left the autonomous region devastated, devoid of business, of basic infrastructure, of basic services and a society torn by suspicion and hatred.

Bougainville needs all the resources it can lay its hands on to start building from ground zero again. 

That is the reason there is a big tussle to get the Bougainville Copper mine up and running again. 

The revenues from the mine and from other business ventures are very much needed in the rebuilding process.

But it will never happen because, while the effort to bring in resources is going on, a few people in positions of influence are emptying the till.

It is hoped that the seminar just concluded will give the politicians and bureaucrats of the new Bougainville fresh impetus to toil harder and honestly for the wider autonomous region while resisting the selfish temptation to work for self-benefit,

There can be no worthy future for Bougainville if it allows itself to be swallowed up by corruption.

Everything that has been sacrificed would be in vain then.