PNG Parliamentarians Losing Focus, Drifting into Project Management, Warns IRC Boss
By Staff Reporter
Papua New Guinea Internal Revenue Commissioner Sam Koim has raised alarm over what he describes as a dangerous drift in the country’s parliamentary governance, warning that Members of Parliament (MPs) are increasingly operating as project managers rather than national lawmakers.
Koim said PNG’s MPs are constitutionally tasked with making laws, shaping policy, and providing oversight of the executive. However, the introduction of the District Services Improvement Program (DSIP) and the establishment of District Development Authorities (DDAs), where MPs serve as automatic chairs, have transformed them into local implementers of development projects rather than legislative leaders.
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| Papua New Guinea Internal Revenue Commissioner Sam Koim |
He explained that this shift has compromised parliamentary debate and the principle of separation of powers. MPs are now more focused on allocating funds, managing suppliers, and responding to local demands than on performing their core national duties. “They have become modern-day development chiefs, not legislators,” Koim noted.
As public expectations have also shifted, constituents now judge their MPs by visible outputs such as roads, classrooms, or roofing iron, rather than their contributions to national lawmaking. Koim warned that this has led to a politicisation of public funds and undermined Parliament’s authority. “Parliament is fast becoming a gateway to wealth and influence rather than a chamber of national service and ideas,” he added.
The warning from Koim comes at a time when Papua New Guinea is also grappling with a deepening law and order crisis. Civil society leaders and anti-corruption advocates have called for decisive government action, citing soaring crime rates and institutional corruption. According to recent data, PNG ranks among the world's most crime-affected nations, with a crime rate of 80.79 incidents per 100,000 people. Port Moresby alone accounts for 42% of all major crimes. Transparency International scored PNG at 31 out of 100 on its 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index, while the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and the Community Coalition Against Corruption (CCAC) have urged for a coordinated, national-level response to restore public trust and security.
Koim further expressed concern that the current structure of constituency development funds is encouraging aspiring politicians to contest elections not for legislative reform, but for access to money and power. He warned that this distortion of political ambition is dangerous for national stability and governance.
In closing, Koim called on PNG parliamentarians to return to their rightful constitutional roles—making laws, overseeing government operations, and providing vision for the country. “We must restore Parliament as a forum for policy, reform, and national debate—not a depot for roofing iron and fuel drums,” he stated.
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