The Papua New Guinea Defence Force has resumed recruitment under its previous selection process, removing unsuitable applicants while retaining eligible candidates, Defence Minister Elias Kapavore told Parliament as investigations into this year’s recruitment scandal continue.
Speaking in Parliament last week, Mr. Kapavore said the PNGDF recruitment team was reviewing the previous selection process and identifying unsuitable candidates, with the force aiming to recruit 300 new personnel by the end of this month.
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Mr. Kapavore said recruitment could not be delayed further, as the PNGDF was losing about 100 personnel annually through attrition and had gone nearly three years without recruiting new personnel.
However, Morobe Governor, Hon. Renbo Paita questioned the decision to proceed with applicants selected through the previous process, raising concerns about the company engaged to conduct the online recruitment exercise.
Mr. Paita said Parliament had been promised an investigation report to establish whether the recruitment process was transparent and whether the companies involved were properly registered.
“If the gatekeeper of that process, which was the company involved, is a deregistered company, then the entire process is tainted,” he told Parliament.
He questioned how the Defence Force could remove some applicants deemed unsuitable while allowing others selected through the same process to proceed.
Governor Paita also asked whether Cabinet or the National Security Council had formally lifted the suspension of Intake 126 and authorized the recall of the previously selected applicants.
Deputy Opposition Leader, Hon. Keith Iduhu also raised concerns about the company’s reported deregistration, arguing that it raised serious questions about the legitimacy of the recruitment process.
In response, Mr. Kapavore said the investigation was continuing and that he had instructed the Defence Council and PNGDF human resources team to review the process and remove unsuitable candidates.
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He disputed claims that the company’s deregistration had been established, saying investigators were still determining whether the company had done anything wrong.
The minister promised to present a statement to Parliament soon, with the investigation findings to be provided accordingly.