Source: Post Courier Editorial- Tuesday 1st October 2024

The national budget provides K2.4 billion to the Members of Parliament to take to their districts every year to spend on development projects.

In the districts today, there is nothing on the ground to show for that money and to add salt to the wound, we do not have any reports to tell us how or where that money was used.

Any fool who is not familiar with how the government system in PNG works will see clearly that something is definitely not right.

Cathy Tukne | Act Now! PNG

While the government has been dramatically increasing the amount of funding pumped directly into each District, there is an appalling lack of transparency about how those public funds are being used.

As of July 2024, analysis of media reporting by ACT NOW, DDA Watch reveals just 24 out of 96 Districts have lodged their financial acquittals for 2022 or 2023 and none of those acquittals are publicly available.  This is despite each District now being given K20 million a year in service and infrastructure improvement grants.

The National | Dylan Murray | 27.08.2024

The Auditor-General's Office cannot inspect how provinces and district use funds to allocate them without financial statements and reports, the office says. 

Deputy auditor-general (corporate affairs) Albert Kimis said the AG's office has not conducted a proper audit of provincial (PSIP) and district (DSIP) services improvement programs (PSIP)(DSIP) in years.  

He told The National that most provincial government audits had been in arrears for the last three to five years. 

The National | Editorial | 27th August 2024

The third-tier is the most important in the land by virtue of it being close to the people. 

The Local Level Government (LLG is also the least important and least resourced among the three tiers of government.

It does not even have a legal arrangement of its own and has to hang on the tailcoat of the provincial governments under the Organic Law on Provincial and Local Level Government. 

Michael Pais| August 21, 2024| Post Courier

The dilemma remains in the opposing arm of the government to have full access to District Service Improvement Program funds which is one main reason triggering most members of parliament favoring the government's spot. 

Nixon Nemu | DDA Watch - Madang District Commentary

Madang District Development State In Limbo!

Madang District has now become one of the underperforming districts in Momase and in Papua New Guinea. 

Seeing the least developed districts in the last 10-15 years are now up on their toes and running exceptionally, in the likes of Menyamya and Finshaffen Districts in Morobe Province, Madang District is no where near them in terms of development. 

 The National | Editorial | 6th August 2024

September looks set to be one of the busiest months of the year for Papua New Guinea. 

Parliament is to resume on September 3rd, possibly with a motion of no confidence in the offing the pope will visit form 6-9, and the country will celebrate its 49th year of Independence on September 16. 

In addition, the long-awaited local level government (LLG) elections, including that of the Motu-Koitabu Assembly, are expected to run concurrently with the with the Issue of Wirths scheduled for Sept 26.

ACT NOW! i raitim na Wantok Niuspepa i pablisim lo Tok Pisin 25th Julai 2024

Long taim i no gat gutpela plen long Distrik level, bai i no gat kwaliti helt na edukesen sevis long Papua Niugini.

Risets bilong ACT NOW i soim olsem tupela yia bihain long las nesenel ileksen, wanpela kwata tasol o 25 % bilong ol Distrik i tokaut long faiv-yia divelopmen plen bilong 2023 – 2027.

Ol Distrik Divelopmen Plen 2023 -2027

Lonsim plen tasol i no kamap yet - 17 %

I gat Plen – 7%

No gat Faiv Yia Plen – 75%

ACT NOW!

The DDA Watch website has been once again published on Wantok Niuspepa in this weeks edition (11th- 17th July 2024). This time the Tok Pisin paper is promoting it on the front page.

ACT NOW! and Wantok Niuspepa has partnered to promote transparency and accountability in the district development authorities in PNG and the use of funds to bring better basic health and education services to the mass majority of Papua New Guineans most who are rural based.

Cathy Tukne / ACT NOW!

A lack of proper planning at the District level is a critical failure that is undermining the delivery of quality health and education services across Papua New Guinea.

Research by ACT NOW has revealed that two-years on from the last national election, just one quarter or 25% of Districts have published a five-year development plan for 2023-27.

The National | Editorial | July 3rd 2024

Papua New Guinea has often been described as an island of gold floating on the sea of oil, surrounded by natural gas. 

However, people in most parts of the country still awaits the sight of tangible development that has been promised since independence.

It is evident that our God-given resources seem to be squandered by a handful of those who lurk behind the curtain of corruption and greed, enabling themselves to get richer while the people become poorer. 

This is a second article by ACT NOW! and published in Tok Pisin on Wantok Niuspepa on June 27th 2024.

In this edition, ACT NOW! is thanking the Ombudsman Commission for calling DDA CEOs to be accountable to the management and use of DSIP funds.

This is been missing for far too long and the DDA CEOs are now been told by OC that they are subject to the Leadership and are required to produce annual returns and other requirements.

ACT NOW! is excited to announced it’s partnership with Wantok Niupepa. 

The only “Tokpisin” newspaper in the country will be featuring stories based on the District Development Authority Watch or DDA Watch website for the next 6 months. 

The first issue featuring DDA Watch website was published on Thursday the 30th of May 2024. Copies of the Wantok Newspaper are circulated nationwide through the Catholic Church and it’s partners. 

ACT NOW! acknowledges Wantok Newspaper in disseminating this information on District Development Authorities and their functions. 

From EMTV NEWS 

As a priority area of action, Transparency International Chairman and Community Coalition Against Corruption (CCAC) co-Chair, Mr Peter Aitsi emphasized on the matter of greater accountability of public funds distributed through District Services Improvement Program Funding (DSIP) and Public Procurement. 

Cathy Tukne | ACT NOW

Round of applause to the Ombudsman Commission (OC) for taking the step in ensuring Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of all District Development Authorities (DDAs) are well equipped with the knowledge to manage the District Services Improvement Program (DSIPs) Funding.