Rabaul: A provincial

letters

Rabaul: A provincial minister erupts

I am writing to you at a time when Papua New Guinea is going through a particular type of experience based on the results of the recent elections, and the style of leadership which immediately followed, or at least until recently.

Such a situation has been characterised by a lot of un favorable government actions and decisions which do not stand up to the tests of reason, responsibility, respect for the people, and sincerity of pur pose.

Instead things have taken on an aura of devilish government values, irrationalism, emo tionalism, “blame-others”, dictatorship, selfishness and hypocrisy. We have a govern ment that is fast becoming a failure. Its policy of “MI SAVE ROT” has not only won itself a place amongst liars but it has undergone a conversion pro cess from a state of “I Know the Way” to a state of incompe tence and “I Don’t Know the Way”.

As an elected representative of my people I have become deeply concerned about their future and the manner in which the Somare government is leading us. Its recent actions for example on: 1. Manus Provincial Gov ernment Suspension.

The auditor-general’s re port has become a divine direction to the government on how to administer the affairs of the nation. The report, which comes out two years after the actions with which it is con cerned, has not only become above the government in its decision-making, but any puni tive action that results from it is against any human principle of corrective measures and punishment. 2. Australia’s Aid to Papua New Guinea

The Prime Minister’s re cent trip to Australia to get help from that country to get man agement of provincial govern ments on a proper footing is a big insult to his own leadership.

Commonsense tells us that when the top is inefficient, the bottom will also be inefficient.

On this alone, we know, and Australia knows, and everyone else knows, that starting from the prime minister’s office where Mr Somare is, inefficien cy of the highest order breeds.

From these it filters down to his ministers, then to national de partments, then to provincial governments.

This obvious fact of adminis tration has led Mr Somare to spotlight his government’s im competence on the internatio nal screen for viewing by all.

This is a process which is putting the majority of Papua New Guineans to shame and disgust.

Mr Somare should tell the Australians the truth. In this case the truth is that he has serious deficiencies in his approach to administration and development. These are characterised by selfish, political motives, and an inability to provide administrative answers instead of politics to administrative problems.

One and a half years ago, the premiers of the New Guinea islands region started calling for more training of their managers in the area of accounting and other areas. Instead of doing this, Mr Somare closed the Islands Regional Training Centre, at Vunadidir, East New Britain, a most irresponsible action for a government to take.

Now, he is turning to the Australians to come and bail him out but using a strategy that only promises more problems and undermines our sovereignty.

-pi j. , The national governments negative answers are highly suspect, particularly when pro vinces are asking for money for development Yet he, without any effort, builds bars in the Knm V a " d ™ ?** KlOOO each to all MP s for Independence Day celebra tons. When concern was ex pressed, the prime minister re plied that it was “surplus money”. Is there any surplus in government spending? In my knowledge of government accounting there can only be deficits, but never a surplus.

I rate Mr Somare’s govern

ment high on irresponsibility to the people of Papua New Guiinea. I ask “Is this what Pangu promised us all when it told us that “MI SAVE ROT”?

I beg all thinking Papua New Guineans to speak out against this evil which has worked its way into the government.

God Help Papua New

GUINEA for its people are being led by men who will be judged against God’s word which is written in the Holy Bible, “When evil men are in power, crime increases. But the righteous will live to see the downfall of such men” (Prov. 29.16).

Sinai Brown

Minister for Finance and Plan ning, East New Britain Provin cial Government Rabaul Papua New Guinea