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PNG OC seeks clarification on the creation of new ministry

PNG’s Ombudsman Commission (OC), the anti-corruption watchdog, has written to the Prime Minister James Marape seeking clarification on how the new ministry – Ministry for Constitutional Offices will affect the independence of the constitutional offices such as the OC.

In a recent cabinet reshuffle, Marape appointed a new Minister for Constitutional Offices.

The point OC raises is valid: constitutional offices are independent and not politically answerable to the government. And in a highly politicised bureaucratic environment, bringing an independent agency such as the OC under a minister will compromise the work of constitutional office holders.

Below is an extract of the letter, and it’s implications:

Ombudsman Commission’s Letter to James Highlights the following:

The head of the executive government, the prime minister has the right to appoint ministers and create ministries
Departments are politically answerable to the ministers
Constitutional offices are an exception: they are independent and not answerable to a minister
James Marape recently created a minister to for constitutional office
Ombudsman Commission seeks clarification on what this minister’s role is, whether OC will come unde the powers of the minister, and how this reconciles with the fact that constitutional offices are independent

Implications

If Marape undos the ministry of constitutional office he will lose face
If he maintains it, it will potentially be unconstitutional
If a dispute arises the matter will go before the Supreme Court
A Supreme Court ruling will prove to be very important:

if ruled in favour of Marape, the constitutional offices will be compromised as all other PNG government departments are
if ruled in favour of OC, again, Marape will lose face, but an important precedent will be set not to interfere with constitutional offices

Way forward:

Marape must undo the ministry for constitutional offices.

Where are the parents, siblings, pastors, and the communities?

The only shop in Gerehu to have survived the 10th of February 2024 looting and burning was burnt down yesterday (Sunday), a week after the 10th of January.

The suspects were apprehended: four kids and one adult!

If you’ve been concerned about unemployment and its impact on PNG, or the rise in criminal activities, lawlessness, inflation, or tax cuts, you have something more serious to worry about.

That the kids, at a very young age, are the primary suspects for a million Kina loss to a business.

How did a country that professes to be 97% Christian burn and loot, and have its children not only follow but, in this case, become the primary actors in the crime of arson?

Where are the kids’ parents? Where are their older siblings? Where are the communities they belong to? Who are their wantoks?

The answer is simple:

The Christians they are supposed to look up to, the parents who are supposed to raise them right, the siblings who were supposed to be role models, the community which was supposed to set rules of the game… were involved in the 10th of January 2024 looting.

As much as we’d like to blame the government, PNG society is essentially decaying. A downward spiral that threatens to destroy the last of the values we hold.

This 10,000 years of civilization is headed for a very dark future if nothing is done.

10 Key Points In PNG’s Political Timeline: February 2024 and Beyond

The 18 months grace period will END on 9 February 2024
First Parliament Sitting of 2024 on 13 February
Vote of No Confidence (VONC) against James Marape is possible between February 2024 and June 2026
Because a successful VONC within the last 12 months can trigger a fresh election, MPs never push for a VONC 12 months before election. Therefore VONC is not likely after July 2026, which is 12 months before 2027 elections
If there is a successful VONC anytime after 13 February 2024, a fresh 18 months grace period will kick in.
This will mean another 18 months of political stability. After which a VONC can be moved
In close to 50 years, only two PNG prime ministers have ever completed their 5 year term as prime ministers (Somare 2002 – 2007; O’Neill 2012 – 2017). The odds are therefore against James Marape. Will he be the third PM to complete his term?
Yesterday’s cabinet shuffle is NOT the last one. We will see many more shuffle as PM attempts to buy loyalty.
DSIPs/PSIPs have been a key political tool used for buying political support and loyalty apart from ministerial portfolios and directing donor funding to projects in friendly MPs electorate. Marape has already hinted doubling the DSIP in 2023, but this will depend on 2024 revenues.
Brace for political instability after 9 February 2024!

Stuck Ones: Ministers Assisting the Prime Minister

In James Marape’s Pangu-led government, there’s a clear pattern: Ministers who say controversial things are replaced by the Prime Minister.

The removed Minister then becomes the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister, helping behind the scenes.

This happened with Justin Tketchenko and Ian Ling-Stucky, where Marape took over their ministries but kept them as assistants. The former called critics “primitive animals” whilst the latter said no Papua New Guineans are actually suffering.

It seems Marape does this to handle controversies, making him the public face while the real power stays with these controversial MPs assisting him. In essence, Marape is the face, but Ministers assisting him hold the real power.

Another coincidence is that both Justin Tkancheko and Ian Ling-Stucky have been nicknamed “Stuck One” in PNG.

No wonder these guys are sticky and cannot be easily removed.

Social media shutdown: a diversion from issues that matter

Social media shutdown: a diversion from issues that matter

A few years ago, the Black Lives Matter movement in the US faced worse carnage than the situation in Port Moresby on January 10, 2024. Despite this, even Trump didn’t contemplate a social media blackout.

The crucial focus should be on addressing key issues:

Police Discipline:

Whilst frustration over pay is understandable, abandoning posts over pay is unacceptable, considering the potential consequences in a city susceptible to exploitation during a vacuum. It’s not the first time this rampage occurred, and police would have foreseen this.

Human Error:

The system failure during the first pay day of 2024 was a result of human error in adjusting the payroll system on time, highlighting a failure in duty along the chain. Someone messed up along the chain, and needs to be held accountable.

Lawlessness:

Growing impunity in PNG reflects a lack of respect for law, fellow humans, and property. If the government continues to neglect investment in law and order, we will see this again and again. Every election is considered worse than the previous one. This will continue unless a serious effort is made to address a breakdown in nationwide law and order.

Government Decisions:

Government claims of no recent tax increases overlook the impact of previous raises, contributing to the ongoing economic challenges and rising inflation. If the tax threshold is increased to K20, 000 but inflation is 5%, your actual pay per annum is K15, 000. If you are taxed at around 40% in perious years, just because there was no increase in 2024 doesn’t mean you’re better off. You are still taxed at 40%, and then inflation takes away 5% of your money’s worth. But you will never hear that from the government.

Ignorance and Lack of Awareness:

Many Papua New Guineans lack understanding of the impacts of taxes and high inflation, partly due to a government communication gap.

Shutting down social media is not the solution; instead, the government should prioritize honesty, conduct awareness campaigns, or consider resigning if unable to address these issues effectively.