Where should MPs work and live?

Where should an MP work and live after being elected as a representative of the province or a district?
Should an MP live in Port Moresby, a provincial capital or a district headquarter?
This is a commonly-asked question by many people from districts to towns and cities in 22 provinces and 89 districts in PNG.
The National Government, through the Labour and Industrial Relations Department or Personnel Management Department, has not clearly defined a job description, residency status and place of work for the MPs as yet.
Is it the role of the Clerk of Parliament to develop a job description for every elected MP for the province?
Why do we sign job contracts as employees in Government departments or corporate organisations for the job?
The job description of MPs and their place of work must be clearly defined.
Most national leaders that have become an MP for a district or a province have their residences either based in Port Moresby, or in the provincial capital or a district headquarter.
The trend has been that every MP wants a residence in Port Moresby.
They tend to abandon their place of work, which are the provinces and the districts.
They find residency in Port Moresby and think that it is logical to operate out of Port Moresby to cover for their provinces and districts they represent from afar.
This is called satellite or isolated management and leadership style, which is less effective.
Take a case scenario: if an employee from a company in Lae is hired by an employer from Port Moresby, the employee will have to resign from his or her job in Lae and be relocated to Port Moresby to work and live in Port Moresby for the new employer.
The employee’s place of residency and place of work will be in Port Moresby, so he or she will work and live in Port Moresby.
That is very simple and logical job relocation process.
The employee will be paid for doing a decent job for the employer because he or she will clock in and clock out every day at his or her place of work to earn a decent pay each fortnight.
Similarly, the regional MP will have to live in the provincial capital because that is his or her place of residency.
The place of work for the regional MP is the province of origin, a leadership role that covers the entire province which the people trusted and empowered him to lead.
In the same way, all district MPs will have to work and live in the district headquarters because that is their place of work and place of residency.
The entire boundary of the district is their place of work.
The leaders must clock in and clock out of their workplaces to earn a decent pay for doing a decent job like every employee does in working for an organisation.
It is absolutely illogical for a governor of a province or a district MP to reside and operate remotely out of Port Moresby on weekly, monthly and yearly basis and
be paid for not being at his place of work for longer periods of time.
Where is the ownership, accountability and responsibility?
How can you tell public servants to go to work when you are not at your workplace?
Would it be unethical for a leader of the province or a district MP to stay away from his or her legal place of work and be paid for doing absolutely nothing?
There are exemptions which are during sitting of the Parliament for that period.
It has become a common trend for most or some of our elected MPs to live work and stay in a bit of luxury in Port Moresby.
In the city, there is everything a MP wants and so it is easier, nicer, and comfortable.
Life is fun and easy to live, work and enjoy than in the MP’s province and electorate.
Is your governor and the district MP working and living in their workplace, the provincial and the district headquarters or operating out of Port Moresby?
Something for all of us to think about when electing leaders in future.

BK Dara
Baimuru, Gulf