Govt Printer hits back #Twist_to_printer_tale... By GORETHY KENNETH, Post Courier, Oct 27,2014. DISGRACED Government Printer Ken Kaiah has confessed to the Post-Courier newspaper to greater political blunders than what he was punished for by the Ombudsman Commission last week. In a tell-all interview at the weekend, Mr Kaiah admitted that there were many shortcuts he took in the past years that were against the law which the Ombudsman chose to ignore in its investigations. He asked why Chief Ombudsman Rigo Lua did not punish him for printing an instrument, without any legislation to reject or decline a proper government instrument, to install the government of the day. Not only that, I did not decline to publish a call-out instrument for Defence Force to come out and install a Government and even the Chief Ombudsman’s appointment and all departmental heads positions which are challengeable today because of the non-renewal of the government printer’s contract, Mr Kaiah said. These were among others, the biggest mistakes I made in my life but I did that to maintain the democracy that prevails now, Mr Kaiah said. My contract wasn’t renewed yet I gave authority to print these issues. I thought these issues would be tried (by the Ombudsman) instead of the lousy K150,000, he said in reference in paid his family company in 2009 which Chief Ombudsman Lua said was a conflict of interest for which he must be sacked. I turned over millions of kina with that K150,000 product and yet I get butchered for that? That’s okay. I will accept the consequences of my decision, and I have not denied it. I’ve admitted from day one that it was a normal business transaction except that it was a conflict of interest by engaging my family company. Mr Kaiah, PNG’s longest serving government printer, accused Rigo Lua of breaching his oath to the Government and by-passing the Public Service Management Act. And he has challenged Mr Lua to resign over a blunder he said should have been brought to the Chief Secretary’s office and not bypassing the procedure and running straight to Parliament. Mr Kaiah is expected to hand in his resignation today, effective November 1, when he would resume work, and then walk out again. He said he will also repay the K150,000 this week but in exchange the Government Printing Ofice will have to return his product before he makes his final exit. He said he commercialised GPO and over the 20-year period made more than K170 million He is also seeking legal advice from his lawyers.
Posted on: Sun, 26 Oct 2014 16:40:58 +0000
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