Transparency International calls for systems to be followed.

Transparency International (PNG) Inc is concerned about the reported suspension of Department of Agriculture and Livestock Secretary Mathew'wela Kanua. TI believes that this is not the prerogative of the Minister for Agriculture and should be handled by the PSC according to the constitutional amendments introduced by the Morauta government in 2001. The amendments were designed to prevent political interference in the day to day running of the public service.

TI Chairman Mike Manning said that the government had gone to all the trouble of reforming the method of appointment and removal of departmental heads to ensure that they were appointed on merit rather than the whims of a particular minister. Recent history has seen the important departments like Treasury, Bank of PNG and Planning and Rural Development changing more than once a year. "It is not possible to build up a functioning and efficient public service if the departmental heads are being changed every few months" Mr Manning said "the Department of Agriculture and Livestock is too important to the future of PNG for it to become a political plaything".

The new Act was designed to ensure that proper procedures were followed in both appointments and sackings of departmental heads. They were to be appointed on merit and only removed if they failed to carry out their duties properly. There is a process that has to be followed and TI urges the government to follow its own rules which were so recently introduced and which the community welcomed as a return to good governance.

The reasons for possible dismissal of departmental heads by the Public services Commission were spelled out in the amendments and were: misbehaviour, breach of contract terms of employment, incompetence, ill-health, poor performance or in the interest of the state as determined by PSC.

Once the job of departmental head is stabilised those people can be expected to give good advice to their ministers and the government of the day as well as rebuilding the performance and morale of their departments. They can be given performance measures and judged against them rather than their political allegiances and the need for Ministers to surround themselves with their cronies and political allies.