The Special Parliamentary Committee on Public Sector Reforms will hold a formal inquiry into the operations of key traffic and transport agencies, following recent clashes between the Road Traffic Authority (RTA) and Motor Vehicle Insurance Limited (MVIL).
Apart from the Parliamentary scrutiny, Chief Secretary to Government Ambassador Ivan Pomaleu has intervened through the public service platform where he met the heads and representatives of the two parties.
Committee Chairman and Northern Governor, Gary Juffa, made the announcement last Friday during the opening of the Central Province Transport Authority’s new office complex in Port Moresby.
He did not give details of the inquiry.
He was officiating the opening on behalf of Prime Minister James Marape who was away in Dubai.
Governor Juffa said the dispute between the agencies had caused serious disruption for
motorists, citizens and investors.
He highlighted deep inefficiencies within the system.
“That clash caused a lot of problems and issues for motorists, for citizens, for investors.
“It created a lot of problems. It created a lot of inefficiencies, and we have to improve on this,” he said.
He said the parliamentary committee would bring all relevant stakeholders, including RTA, MVIL and the police, to the table to find long-term solutions.
“Our committee will be holding a hearing into these organizations and how they are managing traffic, transport and vehicle management, “Governor Juffa said.
Juffa stressed that the committee’s role was to represent the interests of the people, not the executive government.
“The Parliamentary Committee’s purpose is to be the mouthpiece, the ears and eyes of the people.
“It reports to Parliament on behalf of the people,” he said.
He also called for clearer separation of responsibilities among the agencies, stating that
traffic enforcement should rest solely with the police.
“First and foremost, it’s my opinion that traffic enforcement should be the sole responsibility of the police. That’s all,” he said.
“RTA should go back to what it’s supposed to be doing — a strategic regulatory entity —and MVIL focus on insurance.”
Governor Juffa said the country must look ahead and modernize its public sector to match global and regional developments.
“We need to look at the next 50 years. Are we going to move forward or continue at a snail’s pace while the world moves on?” he said.
The inquiry is expected to examine coordination failures, use of technology, and reforms needed to improve efficiency in traffic management and vehicle registration across the country.