PNG Parliament passes Prime Minister and NEC Amendment Bill

The Office of the Chief Secretary has been restored, following the passing of the Prime Minister and National Executive Council Amendment Bill 2022 yesterday.

Article and photo by Esther Bralyn Wani: NBC News

In tabling the Bill in Parliament, Prime Minister James Marape said this is to ensure the public service complies with government directives and implements government policies effectively.

The Marape Government abolished the Chief Secretary Office three (3) years ago, however, it's now realized a lack of leadership at the public service operational level.

The Prime Minister and the National Executive Council Amendment Bill 2022 was brought to the house to formalize and restore the office and its position of the Chief to the Government. 

Mr. Marape admitted that the decision to put an end to the head of the bureaucracy was a mistake as they now realize that the public service lacks leadership or no leadership at the operational level and there is a decline in performance of public servants. 

He said there is no functional alignments and no day-to-day administrative oversight, hence accountability of their performance is lacking. 

After passing the Bill, Prime Minister Marape says the law will now require departments and agency heads to report to the Chief Secretary so that there is progress in government's key result areas.

Meantime, Mr. Marape has urged Department Secretaries to provide their annual performance reports by the end of December and months performance report should come in by the 31st of March, 2023.

NBC News/One PNG News

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