Watchdogs urged to be vigilant against graft July 10,2014, 02:50 am - Post Courier (author unknown) THE Papua New Guinea Chapter of Transparency International (TIPNG) has appealed to the country’s watchdog institutions to do their jobs effectively and independently. The local chapter said it noted the decision by Prime Minister Peter O’Neill recently to suspend court action and to avail himself to the police, describing it as an acknowledgement of the separation of powers between the executive, judiciary and the legislative arms of government. In doing so, Mr O’Neill has submitted himself to observing the principle of separation of powers, which is a fundamental aspect of our constitution and without which the rule of law may otherwise be compromised, TIPNG said in a statement. Our democracy is founded upon the effective operation of three arms of government: the executive, the judiciary and the legislature. Without due and proper regard to such institutions and importantly the separation of their powers, our future development aspirations and prosperity is not assured. It is vital that our watch dog institutions do their appointed jobs properly, and independently of external influence, in accordance with and as demanded by the constitution. Their processes provide for the most effective protection of the rights of all individuals and our democracy. In particular, we draw attention to the Leadership Code and its provisions for dealing with our leaders and oversight of their responsibilities in office. By design, the Leadership Code demands that those who hold public office are held to a higher standard of behaviour than that required of ordinary citizens. The Ombudsman Commission expressed similar sentiments last month when it said it was concerned at the various sackings and appointments of ministers, senior police officers and the disbanding of the Investigations Task Force Sweep. The commission also warned MPs that it would prosecute those who breached the Leadership Code during the four week political crisis centred in Port Moresby.
Posted on: Wed, 09 Jul 2014 21:55:50 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015