By ELIAS NANAU
The 7.5 million people of Papua New Guinea are now
expecting with assurance from Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s seven-month old government
that their most wanted but delayed essential services will be provided.
Apart from the services like health and education which
are existing but not effective, and
struggling to meet growing demands, people mainly in rural areas can expect
“luxurious services” like electricity, telecommunication, water, and postal
services.
They can anticipate these services with high confidence
as O’Neill has declared 2013, the year of “implementation” and his minister Ben
Micah has given an absolute undertaking-challenging state owned entities to
deliver the “luxurious services” to the entire country.
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| Waromo village, Vanimo West Coast |
“State owned companies will be expected to serve all of
Papua New Guinea,” Micah, the State Enterprises and Investments Minister said.
The catch word “implementation” is now being reverberated
by almost every government minister, politician and bureaucrat in public
gatherings- including Prime Minister O’Neill.
It could well be stressed in executive office meetings as
well.
O’Neill has challenged his government ministers and
public servants who are the key agents of this “implementation” to shape up and
execute or “ship-out” if they are incompetent.
“We will also revamp the public service to get people who
can deliver,” O’Neill said when meeting with boards and CEO’s of state entities
in January.
He said in October this year, there would be a conference
for all public servants to evaluate their achievements for the year.
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| Plane parks at the Green River Airstrip, West Sepik. The airstrip was constructed by the PNGDF Engineering Batallion and has now deteriorated Credit: Erick Kowa |
If Papua New Guineans have heard it right, the goal has
been spelled out and it is very ambitious, never pronounced at such level and
intensity since independence in 1975.
For a rural Papua New Guinean, who lives without
electricity, walks kilometers to fetch water to cook and drink, does not ride
in a car and there is no adequately resourced hospital available- this will be
like a dream that is in fact manifesting itself.
State enterprises minister Micah has told CEO’s and
boards of state owned entities that they will have to provide services to
everyone from now on, not just the urban population as has been the trend.
This he said would be driven by a policy to be approved
by Cabinet.
The state entities who should be looking at shifting
their focus, expanding their market niches and delivering services include Air
Niugini, Eda Ranu, PNG Ports, Motor Vehicle Insurance Limited (MVIL), Post PNG,
PNG Power, Telikom PNG and Water PNG.
Their respective boards and CEO’s would report on their
progress in achieving “nationwide service delivery” to minister Micah by
October this year before he briefs Cabinet and the next 2014 budget is tabled
in Parliament.
Micah has also told the newly appointed boards of all the
state companies and their CEO’s during their first ever induction and
orientation meeting in Port Moresby last month.
“We are going to embark on a very ambitious plan,” he
said.
Micah said 90 per cent of the population has been left
out of the luxury of services like water, telecommunication, electricity and
proper sewerage and after 37 years, it was time they benefit from the
government through service delivery interventions by state companies.
He stressed that the government was now placing emphasis
on state entities to make money, sustain their operations, pay dividends to the
state and not become heavily dependent on government funding.
“I will now be putting out my hand to receive
revenues from you,” Micah said.
He said state companies were much like the left arm of
government to deliver services.
Micah admitted there were complaints from consumers about
ineffective services being provided by some entities, identifying
telecommunication and electricity as few, and he said these should be improved.
On a positive note he said companies have been able to
operate despite constraints.
Micah admitted there were some companies struggling and a
way to go about it would be for each entity to form partnerships and assist
each other because they all represent the people of PNG.
“Post PNG is suffering but Air Niugini is giving priority
to DHL and TNT,” he said.
Micah told the new boards that “many were recommended but
they were the ones chosen” after a thorough screening process boasting a wealth
of experience and qualification in both the public and private sector.
He said in order for a company to prosper, it needed good
board members not CEO’s.
O’Neill has said there is no time to play “blame-games”
about what is not working right today.
He said it was time for the country to make a drastic
change and one approach to achieve it will be to rid incompetent public
servants occupying offices.
“I know that it is a great honor to serve our
country. I want to urge you to take it seriously. Let’s forget about the past
and look towards the future,” O’Neill told new boards of state entities.
He said the government will be introducing cost
control measures while embarking on implementing service delivery.
He wants state enterprises to be innovative in
approaching service delivery and if initial capital was an issue, he urged
boards and CEO’s to look outside-take the private sector partnerships.
“Our government will support you to deliver the best
outcomes,” O’Neill said.
There will be meetings to asses this.
“Before the next budget process, we will see which state
entity does well and which does not.”
It would be interesting to note by the end of the year
how state entities have progressed in providing the services to the 7.5 million
people.
It would be a dream-come true for many in the rural areas
if the “luxurious services” were delivered to them.
*The article was written in January 2013 for the Islands Business
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