Somare talks tough

on statutory bodies

Some statutory authorities in Papua New Guinea are to have their powers pruned and could even be abolished altogether if the govern ment considers it could do the work more cheaply and just as effectively.

The Prime Minister, Mr Somare, said this in a September radio inter view broadcast nationally in PNG.

The National Airlines Commis sion (which operates Air Niugini), the National Broadcasting Commis sion and the Housing Commission bore the brunt of Mr Somare’s cri

licism of statutory bodies. Earlier, in his budget sp * ech Mr So mare had hinted at greater direct control over the affairs of statutory authori ties. He referred to “pulling them ‘ n to line”.

But his broadcast showed that he was angry at what he called “em pire-buildmg" in statutory authon ties, and that legislative changes were already under consideration, Mr Somare said; “We don t plan specifically to get rid of them, but as a government we must insist that we control them. And if it comes to the stage where we have to abolish them, then we will abolish them, Mr Somare conceded that no

statutory body appeared to have broken the letter of its charter, but too many major and often expensive decisions had been planned without taking the government into con fidence. Sometimes this had com mitted the government to heavy unexpected expenditure which it could ill afford, or had resulted in policy lines which conflicted with government thinking.

Mr Somare mentioned in particu lar the unilateral decision by the National Broadcasting Commission to commence commercial radio last year and the recent planning by Air Niugini which has committed the government to acquiring two Fok ker F2B jets (see Transport section).

He denied that the government wanted to control the news and comment programmes of the Na tional Broadcasting Commission.

Planning, policy and expenditure were what concerned the govern ment, he said.

He said that Air Niugini’s ar rangements to operate two Fokker jets, a multi-million dollar deal, had been undertaken without govern ment collaboration, but the govern ment had to back the financial ar rangements.

He said steps were now being taken to increase the government’s direct voice in the Air Niugini boardroom. This is understood to be the creation of two specialised directorships one representing the finance ministry and the other the national planning office, which is an arm of the Prime Minister’s

department.

Mr Somare described statutory authorities as part of the bureaucratic concept inherited from Australia, and not always necessarily the best answer to PNG’s requirements.

He said he would not interfere with the Ombudsman Commission which was an office created under the constitution. • Trade between New Zealand and Western Samoa is six-to-one in New Zealand's favour. In 1976, Western Samoa’s exports to NZ were worth T 1.987 million, while in return she bought goods worth T 6.544 million.

But Western Samoa has a favoura ble trade balance with West Germa ny, with exports worth T 1.907 million in 1976 and imports worth T 422 000.