By JOE
GURINA and BENNY GETENG
PUBLIC servants in the country
have been put on notice to lift their game or shift out, Prime Minister James
Marape has urged.
He challenged the public servants
to meet expectation of the entire eight million people because a huge budget of
K4.2 billion annually is consumed by public servants.
“Public servants you all must play
the game right from wherever you are staying to produce what is expected of us
because we public servants consume K160 million kina every fortnight paid by
the state of PNG.
“The Prime Minister cannot do it
alone; every public servant must grow in hand and deliver to the expectations
of our people.
“Tell me how you can make PNG a
rich black Christian nation on planet earth. You tell me how you can contribute
in keeping an employment,’’ he raised these questions while making a public
statement last week.
He said he will be making some
strategic decisions to strengthen and improve the public service machinery.
“I will be making some hard
decisions in the next few weeks, months and years. Hopefully when my time is up,
I would have started a journey that will make PNG a better place than what we
have right now,’’ Marape said.
“With our state of economy, you
will have realized where we are. When speaking of our natural resources, you
don’t feel a little bit doubtful and intimidated or insecure. You must not feel
that way when PNG face robust economic business to make profit for you and your
shareholders.’’
The Prime Minister said he will
make amendments to the resource laws making it conducive for businesses and
corporate citizen in our country that participate in the resource sectors to be
strong, stable, prosperous and wealthy in driving the economic agenda of the
country.
Meanwhile, he said the nation
will celebrate 50 years of independence in 2025 so the country enjoys the benefits
from the natural resources.
“I will not be here in 2025 and
whatever changes we intend to do in the next one or two years will be
prospective.
“I am looking into expanding my
horizon into regions in Malaysia for instance, there are natural laws, I will
be looking into similar economic serenity around us and deal with our resources.
We must grow our economy to ensure our people benefit.
“I would also like to urge the public
not to cause unnecessary law and order problems; and appeal to my people of
Hela which I am proud to be the leader of to respect themselves and the law and
order in PNG so that everyone can make a better PNG,” Marape said.
He further said gone will be the
days of accepting bribes and letting perpetrators go free and even teachers
leaving work on Tuesday or Wednesday to go to town and wait for fortnight.
This will be a new change of mind
set and focus in taking back PNG and some of the measures to be put in place to
bring back and instil discipline in the public service.
Marape urged public servants in
the country to pull up their socks and perform and work accordingly to how they
are paid each fortnight.
He said public servants who enjoy
the privilege of getting paid each fortnight must now rise up and make a
difference for the country.
“We must ask the question if it
is not us then who will do it. If it is not now, then when will we do it?” he
asked.
PM Marape said every fortnight
the Government pays K160 Million to the 200,000 plus public servants in the
country and they must work according to the money they are paid for.
“Departmental Heads and Chief
Executive Officers of districts must get down and be strict with their
employees so that they perform honestly in their respective duties,” he said.
He said it is unfair for the
public servants out there in the remote places working tirelessly to be paid
whilst some in the urban settings are paid more with not much work being done
to help develop the country.
“In 2012, the salaries per
fortnight were K110 Million and after six to seven years it has now gone up to
K160 Million,” he said.
He said all public servants in
the country including himself and the rest of the parliamentarians must now try
to make a difference in the work they do.
“Pasin blo sindaun lo office na
dring kande kulung nating to must stop,” he said. (The norm of sitting down in
the office and drinking tea unnecessarily must stop now).
He urged Magistrates to be fair
on their part in delivering sentences of crimes and avoid handing down
decisions in favour of their ‘wantoks’ or relatives.
PM Marape stressed that under the
new shift of service delivery; public servants based in Port Moresby will be
trimmed and sent back to their respective districts to serve the people much
better.
He said economic empowerment
begins with an effective public service and public servants must take ownership
of the work they do.
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