BASIL: POLITICAL PARTIES MUST BE ACCOUNTABLE

PNG Deputy Opposition Leader Sam Basil.

The Deputy Opposition Leader is concerned that politics in Papua New Guinea is focused on the Members of Parliament whilst the core element of our Westminster system is given little notice let alone it's accountability and visibility in the public sphere.

Mr Basil said the PNC Party as a leading political party owes an explanation to the public regarding the conduct of it's Political Leaders and Party Executives.

Recently PNC Party politicians and executives have been named in corruption issues and civil cases that leaves a lot of questions about the party's credibility to govern this nation.

In other democracies such incidences would require explanations on its election issues and policies and even automatically trigger the accused to relinquish their positions to allow investigations to be carried out to clear their names before assuming office or their resignation if found to compromise the party or investigations confirms the allegations.

He said the is urgency for constitutional bodies tasked with supervision or enforcement of various code of conduct and ethics needed to be strengthened by the watchdogs, anti-corruption agencies and responsible officers such as Registrar of Political Parties and Candidates and the Chief Ombudsman over political parties and it's executives.

The PNC led government has announced major policies which will see billions of Kina appropriated or announced to be spent on those unprecedented policies but the question of credibility remains on those politician and the executives of PNC Party, the very people who will handle the implementation of those projects.

Every thinking Papua New Guineans should be asking if this country is in the safe hands and people associated with PNC Party should be trusted to have the keys to the lives of the 7.5 million people of PNG?

The magnitude of the risks that PNC Party has created for Papua New Guineans for far is so great and is adding daily.

He said the silence of the constitutional bodies is so deafening. These bodies should not wait until damage is done to prosecute the offense. It is about stating the facts and to guide the leadership of the country. These institutions are established to counsel and direct leaders and should the leaders persist, formal investigations are carried out to prosecute the breach.

He said it is time to revisit the political party system, parliamentary practice and process as well as the Organic Law on Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates as well as Leadership Code.