Senior public servants and members of community based organizations have highlighted the need for greater transparency at the lower government levels saying political influence is a major contributing factor to the opacity.
Over two days in Lae, community input was gathered for the next phase of the National Action Plan. These consultation meetings brought key issues to the fore, aiming to incorporate diverse perspectives into future initiatives.
Deputy Administrator for the Sandaun Province, Timothy Teklan, has observed marked shifts in his years in the public service and as District administrator for Aitape-Lumi.
He said during his tenure, information on government services, project funding, and allocations was routinely shared and made available to sub-national and district levels, ensuring the public understood their entitlements as service recipients.
“We made sure everything was open,” the former district administrator said. “People knew what projects were getting money, how much, and what was happening with government services.”
The former DA reports a steady stream of people approaching him, seeking details on government-funded initiatives. These are inquiries that should be directed to the current District Development Authority (DDA) or other district officers. This points to a breakdown in communication channels within the current administration.
“It’s a problem when the DDA and other officers aren’t telling people what they need to know,” he stated. “There are reports, yes, that some information is confidential. But for general public matters – development work, how projects are funded – people need to be informed so they can participate. This isn’t happening.”
The impact of this information vacuum is significant.
Local-Level Governments, meant to be key partners in district development, find themselves without crucial details to guide their own planning and community engagement. This situation prevents meaningful public involvement in projects designed to benefit them, hindering local development efforts.
This lack of transparency in Aitape-Lumi mirrors broader challenges across Papua New Guinea, where the public often struggles to obtain clear details on how public funds, such as those from the District Services Improvement Program (DSIP), are allocated and managed.
Sophie Mangai, President of the East Sepik Council of Women, asked why the participation of women was limited at the district and LLG level and why there is a lack of visibility where the funding is being spent in the districts.
“There has to be women’s participation. We have to know how the money is being spent.”
Transparency International PNG (TIPNG) CEO, Arianne Kassman, says years of complacency and public conditioning of acceptance of that lack of visibility need to be undone. She says, this needs education and continued awareness.
“I think we as a population have become very tolerant of secrecy. There’s a lack of information, and we’ve accepted that this is now normal for Papua New Guinea is that we don’t have information readily available,” Kassman said.
“We don’t have figures statistics readily available. It’s become a norm and this is the culture that we need to break. People need to be able to ask, demand for answers. With the census that took place… Why hasn’t it been completed? How much money has been spent on it?”
