Prime Minister James Marape says the suspension of 70 departmental and agency heads is not a new government policy but a decisive enforcement of long-standing laws requiring public officials to account for public money and resources.
PM Marape in a statement on Tuesday said the affected heads had allegedly failed to meet mandatory statutory reporting and accountability obligations, stressing that government agencies entrusted with millions of Kina must transparently report on their finances and performance.
He made the clarification in Parliament on Tuesday in response to questions from Dei MP Desmond Kipa over the status and legality of the administrative suspensions, rejecting suggestions that the Government had introduced new rules to target senior public servants.
The Prime Minister emphasized that the Constitution and various Acts of Parliament dictate clear and mandatory reporting timelines for public administrators.
“These are not optional matters but requirements of the law,” PM Marape stated. “If you are responsible for public money, you must report.”
To support the legality of the State’s intervention, PM Marape cited an extensive framework of existing legislation, including the Constitution, the Organic Law on Provincial and Local-Level Governments, the Prime Minister’s Act, the Public Finances (Management) Act and the Public Services (Management) Act.
The Constitution, including Section 187, establishes reporting obligations regarding public administration and judicial operations, while the Organic Law on Provincial and Local-Level Governments requires regular reporting from provincial administrations.
The Prime Minister’s Act provides executive mechanisms to monitor government line departments through the Chief Secretary, while the Public Finances (Management) Act and Public Services (Management) Act require comprehensive annual performance and financial statements to be compiled and submitted on time.
PM Marape expressed strong concern that successive governments had tolerated poor reporting practices, noting that several suspended agency heads were repeat offenders who had neglected their reporting duties for consecutive years.
He questioned how agencies receiving millions of Kina in public funding could justify withholding performance information until the annual budget cycle.
“As we mark our 50th year of Independence, it is time to break away from the bad habits of the past and get these fundamental principles right,” he said.
Issuing a stern warning to senior bureaucrats, PM Marape said high academic qualifications and decades of experience meant little if basic legal and administrative requirements were ignored.
“If you are not doing the job you are paid to do—particularly reporting on public finances and human resource matters—then please, do the country, your family, and yourself a favour and vacate the office,” he said.
Parliament was informed that the Office of the Chief Secretary and the Department of Personnel Management had formally initiated disciplinary and suspension proceedings against the 70 affected heads.
The affected officers have been formally served notices and must show cause to the Chief Secretary why they failed to meet their statutory duties.
Relevant line ministers have also been instructed to immediately identify internal deputies to step in as acting heads to ensure there is no disruption to State services.
The Chief Secretary is expected to provide further administrative details as the investigation progresses.
Responding to further questions about why departmental heads were being penalized while ministers were not, PM Marape drew a distinction between elected political leaders and career public servants.
“Ministers are elected by the people. Public servants are appointed through established processes,” he explained.
“Ministers can come and go, but administrative heads remain permanently, responsible for ensuring public funds are properly administered.”
Related news: https://www.thepngsun.com/more-than-70-public-sector-heads-suspended-over-reporting-failures/
“I am paving the way for whoever becomes Prime Minister after 2027. We are taking the bull by the horn to ensure there is transparency and accountability.”
PM Marape also cautioned the suspended departmental and agency heads against using politicians as lobbyists to bypass the legal process or protect their positions.