Unfair for PAC to point finger at Rimua and DPE

I REFER to the report that appeared on page 14 in The National (May 20) criticising the secretary of the Department of Petroleum and Energy.
The article arises from a report by the auditor-general’s office which led to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) branding the department as a “failed department”.
For those who are still interested in the affairs of the department, please allow me to make the following remarks:
1. From observations, the current secretary of the department, Rendle Rimua, has delivered more than his predecessors. This was obvious from his efforts in getting the landowners sign both the umbrella benefits sharing agreement and licence-based benefits sharing agreement;
2. The current secretary is experienced and has worked his way up from a petroleum policy officer back in 1998. He is in a good position to know all the administrative problems highlighted by the PAC and I am sure he will look into it as soon as the PNG LNG issues are over;
3. In relation to his involvement in the affairs of the Konebada Petroleum Park Authority, politicians and others who have been in positions of authority have hijacked its purpose and has been another “milking cow” for the boys. Rimua has never played a part in its operations apart from being appointed a member of a special committee during its inception; and
4. The PAC and auditor-general’s office should focus on so-called service departments than economic sector agencies. There is so much abuse there and terms such as “failed departments” should be more appropriately applied to them. In light of the LNG project, I urge the PAC and auditor-general to leave Rimua and the Department of Petroleum and Energy alone.
It is apparent that some of the information provided by the auditor-general to the PAC is inaccurate and it is obvious disgruntled senior officers in the department are corroborating with certain officers in AG’s office to discredit the secretary.

Original yahoo dotkom
Port Moresby