OGP an avenue to fight corruption, says Sir Ano

Planning Minister Sir Ano Pala says the Open Government Partnership [OGP] Secretariat could be a platform to address systemic issues such as corruption, in the country.

The latest Corruption Perception Index [CPI] shows that Papua New Guinea has improved by a percentage this year with a score of 29 out of 100, from 28 out of 100 in 2021.

Sir Ano says the effort is there, but PNG still finds itself among a majority of countries that show little to no improvement in tackling corruption.

“As with many countries that score below the global CPI average of 43, Papua New Guinea experiences a link between the perceived prevalence of corruption in a country and a lack of political integrity,” the Rigo MP said.

“I believe, the OGP platform paves the way to address some of these challenges we have faced as a country.

The Rigo MP said PNG has pledged to live up to the requirements of the OGP standards and guiding principles as a member of the Global OGP Community.

Minister Pala said the objective of the OGP was to improve transparency and accountability in the government systems and processes and hold leaders accountable.

He added that the planning department is coordinating the implementation of PNG’s 2nd National Action Plan which the Government endorsed through a cabinet decision in 2022.

“The OGP initiative complements the spirit of our National Constitution that underlays the principles of fairness, transparency, and inclusive participation in service delivery and wealth distribution,” he said.
“It also elevates the principles of partnership and inclusive participation in decision-making and service delivery.

Pala said the Marape-Rosso Government was keen on fighting corruption in PNG.

But he stressed that anti-corruption efforts were ineffective due to poor implementation of existing laws, considerable resource gaps, and confusion over the overlapping responsibility of anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies.

“With OGP, PNG is at the crossroads to eradicate corruption in the political and economic environment, professional ethics and morality, and, of course, habits, customs, tradition and demography.

“It is indeed a mammoth task for the Government and its partners to fight this battle for good governance.”