Stability in service delivery mechanisms is needed to provide effective monitoring and an equitable distribution.

By MICHAEL GEORGE

THE Government of Papua New Guinea needs to strengthen existing service delivery mechanisms at the provincial, district and local-level government levels in order to improve service delivery.

The benefits derived at this time of increased investment opportunities by external investors need to be shared with sub-national governments to effectively deliver basic services to the rural population and direct investment at the micro level could foster greater income earning opportunities for them.

With the LNG “pork” on the table, many people are anticipating to share it, with the best parts going to Exxon Mobil (32.9%), Oil search (28.7%), Santos Ltd (13.7%), ALG Energy (3.6%) and Nippon Oil (1.7%). The remaining 19.4 per cent slice of the pork goes to the State and to the landowners.

The recent Benefit Sharing Agreement forum in Kokopo between the State and the landowners of the LNG gas project sliced a good deal with landowners walking away with 7 per cent equity out of the 19.4 percent. Yet the ongoing struggle among the different factions of landowner groups and the beneficiaries of the project raises the question of how the benefits will be managed prudently in a sustainable manner and can be shared equally between them.

Stability in service delivery mechanisms is needed to provide effective monitoring and an equitable distribution of benefits to resource owners from different landowner groups and the rural populace.

Strengthening the current decentralised system

Research findings and public outcry in the media portray the deteriorating state of established service delivery mechanisms in Papua New Guiena's urban and rural areas. This deteriorating scenario contributed towards the enactment of the Organic Law on Provincial Governments and Local-level Governments (OLPGLLG), which aims to strengthen the framework of the current decentralised system of government.

However, some people say that this system of government has failed to meet peoples’ expectations especially regarding delivery of basic goods and services to the rural majority.
A former Member of PNG Parliament, Paul Pora, has called for the revival of the old provincial government system adding that the enactment of the current OLPGLLG has made the local-level government presidents and ward councilors powerless who are not being actively involved in decision making at the provincial or district levels.

The lack of participation from the LLG presidents and ward councilors is a consequence of the recent amendment of s.10 of the OLPGLLG, which has effectively removed powers from the LLG presidents and councilors and has prevented them from fully participating at the provincial assemblies. The OLPGLLG is aimed at “improving service delivery mechanisms”.
As such, strengthening provincial, district and local-level government mechanisms will lead to effective delivery of basic services to the bulk of the population in rural areas. Also, it will encourage and increase community participation by representatives and officers at the lower levels of government to appropriate and correctly channel the benefits of increased economic activities at the micro level. The strengthening of provincial, district and local-level governments will re-enforce the legality and validity of the transfer of political, administrative and fiscal powers to the lower levels of government. However, strengthening of service delivery mechanisms will only be effective if public servants’ capacities are strengthened.

Re-empowering capacities

Re-empowering local-level government presidents and their councilors is an important step forward; which will simultaneously propel and strengthen service delivery mechanisms. The presidents will participate effectively at provincial executive council meetings and at the Joint District Planning Budgetary Priority Committees as members. Amendments to s.10 of the OLPGLLG have removed LLG presidents as members of provincial assemblies.

The current decentralised system of government enables the transfer of powers – political, administrative and fiscal to the lower levels of government. The lower levels of government are given powers to participate in decision making and to implement national plans and objectives. Community participation and bottom-up planning are underlying arguments for decentralisation.

Handing back powers to the LLG presidents will improve service delivery mechanisms at the local-level governments, enabling the notion of decentralisation to work at the lower levels of government.
Re-empowering presidents will strengthen coordination between the district administrators, council managers and public servants at the district and LLG levels. A review of s.10 of the OLPGLLG is an important step towards restoring political powers back to the presidents and their ward councilors.
It will also reaffirm the administrative powers of LLG managers and public servants who will drive the existing mechanisms of service delivery. Re-strengthening and empowerment will also encourage coordination and participation between the political and administrative arms of government at the lower levels. Restoring political powers and strengthening existing mechanisms is only possible when resources are prioritised to meet the State’s obligations in delivering basic services to the rural majority of Papua New Guinea.
 

Prioritising resources within focused expenditure

Prudent spending within the focus of service delivery is important for the management of scant financial resources. Effective service delivery needs a cautious decentralised government that is close to the rural population.
Stability in service delivery mechanisms is essential for the effective implementation of the National Government’s development plans as conceptualised in the 1995 reformed decentralised system of government.
Focusing on the equitable distribution of service delivery by the recent inter-government arrangement is the pathway to strengthening existing service delivery mechanisms. As such, it will enable them to effectively deliver basic services to the rural majority.
Intergovernmental fiscal arrangements focus on the equitable disbursement of goods and services from the national to lower levels of government.

Michael George is a cadet researcher with the social and environmental studies division at the National Research Institute.

This article was published with permission from National Research Institute of Papua New Guinea. NRI website can be accessed at www.nri.org.pg

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nemba  - Lack of Monitoring is the weakness in all governme   |2009-10-22 00:31:24 Yes, we can talk about empowering presidents but they were given the chance some years ago. What they did was using their powers to get vehicles for themselves and were also campaigning against current sitting MPs. I think that was the reason why the MPs decided to exclude them in decision making and power sharing. What the government need to do now is setup monitoring system to track and update progress of projects out in the rural areas. Even though the budget is setup, most often the money intended for development such as buidling roads,schools and hospitals ends up buying vehicles and payING for hotel and overseas travels. How does the government know the budget has achieved its purpose? The only way is to setup monitoring and reporting system that provides feedback and actual results against the budgets. A benefit of this approach is that the next budget is planned based on what has been achieved and what needs to ... Reply 0   0

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