By Petrus GAND
When every individual lives by the books, go by the books and do anything according to the books then corruption would be laid dormant while justice will conquer thorough control. But PNG is a home to wantokism, a term often used to describe corruption in PNG context.
The then Prime Minister Peter O’Neill had established the Task Force Sweep and disbanded it after some years of operation because a case was filed against him. And now the Marape-Basil government gave birth to the Independent Commission for Corruption (ICC), an autonomous mechanism enforced to target corrupt practices nationwide.
Consequently, a policy was also gazetted to value the assets of public servants at the end of each year. It may be visualized as a breach of privacy, the government maintains it takes every step to eliminate futuristic corruption.
It is partially reasonable, yet should it be applicable to the mandated leaders? They are the stars of bureaucratic and official corruption, electoral frauds, forgery, misappropriation, clientelism and the list unfolds on.
The public office-holders are puppets of the MPs but have now turned into a scapegoat. They are none other than a subject, who wakes up early and goes to bed late just to obey duty calls and remain in-possession of their constituted responsibilities. Miserably, they are made the primary targets and are watched with loads of assumptions and conspiracy theories.
These legislation poses a threat to guide their personal welfare. There are other ways to eradicate unethical conducts than to value their assets.
Initially, PNG is in need to have special computerized agencies in the ICC and Police Internal Investigation Unit who will work 24 hours, closely empowered by super-computers.
They will access our telecommunication channels and ensure every corner of our jurisdiction is installed with closed-circuit cameras that will track every communication and movements held within our cyber world.
We have brilliant computer scientists, hackers, cyber security wizards, information technology specialists, academic security professionals and etcetera. We can utilize them and send some abroad to broaden their knowledge capacity where necessary, so that they will return as experts to watch over our technological life.
Also, the NID project is still a part of the ground work to make sure every person is registered and monitored by the state to prevent susceptible crimes in the society. It is expected to be completed as it will heavily facilitate the regulation of technological communications and the usage of the internet.
However, governing our digital affairs will save us from being deprived by inevitable corrupt practices and cyber threats, starting from the community level to the highest peak where politicians and their allies remain champions.
Petrus GAND
BH20-SOB
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