The issue paper ‘The Ineffective Dual Roles of Papua New Guinea Members of Parliament: Why It Matters’ puts forward research that analyzes the issues occurring due to ineffective dual roles of Members of Parliament (MPs) in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The paper argues that despite the MPs’ role of representing their constituents and serving their constituencies, they often face pressure to support the government agenda, leading to conflict of interest.
Author, Michael Kabuni, highlights that this ineffective dual role of MPs has contributed toward the undermining of democratic governance in the country, which impacts the wider society. The paper suggests that this has also caused a lack of transparency and accountability in the government, resulting in an inability to address the fundamental issues affecting the country.
Despite the adoption of a constitution that clearly defines the roles of MPs in PNG, their struggle to balance their duties as members of the opposition and the government has led to tensions, particularly at the district and provincial level.
“This perception of the Member of Parliament being the agent of government rather than the agent of the people is not untrue, as the observed behavior of MPs in parliaments, particularly since independence, has shown the dual role they play in the country,” Kabuni says.
The paper suggests that the dual roles of MPs result from the absence of policy governing the MPs’ association with the cabinet. As a result, the development agenda of the government often drives the decisions of MPs, leading to a lack of transparency and accountability in the governance process.The author concludes the paper with recommendations aimed at mitigating this conflict of interest. These recommendations include empowering voters to choose their representatives, limiting the power of the government over MPs, and enhancing transparency in the governance process.
In conclusion, the document provides an insight into the current issues that PNG faces in regards to governance with the dual roles of MPs affecting accountability, transparency and overall democratic governance. The recommendations set forth by the paper serve as potential solutions that could be considered by stakeholders to addressing this complex issue.Michael Kabuni is an academic and researcher from Papua New Guinea. He is currently the Head of the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG). Kabuni is also a research associate at the PNG National Research Institute and a member of the PNG Electoral Commission’s Technical Advisory Group.
