Warning against duplication of positions in districts

By PHOEBE GWANGILO
The Ombudsman Commissioner warned against duplication of positions in the district development authority during an inaugural meeting of the Employees Association of PNG’s executives in Port Moresby yesterday.
“Department of Personnel Management and the Public Service Commission are the only two bodies that approve the district improvement authority structure,” Ombudsman Commissioner Richard Pagen told the executives when they raised concerns about local MPs making their own appointments.
“The matter was challenged, Public Service Commission took the matter to court and the decision by the Supreme Court is yet to be delivered,” he said of a case in which an MP made the DDA appointments.
“Coming back to the duplication of structure, that structure has to be approved by either the DPM or the Public Service Commission.
“They (MPs) must not duplicate the structure.”
“Where does the money paid to the duplicated structure come from?
“That’s when misappropriation is coming in because the money is for the purpose of development.
“The DSIP (district services improvement programme) fund or the PSIP (provincial services improvement programme) fund that is coming in is only 10 per cent of the K10 million or K9 million for the administrative.
“The rest have been budgeted for which the law itself has allocated.
“This body (DDA) is to identify projects to fund, but if MPs are getting the money out to fund the duplicated structure then it’s misappropriation and they can be referred to the Ombudsmen Commission.”