Date: 6/09/2022

Public Service Minister Hon. Joe Sungi vowed to continue what he started in his previous tenure as Minister, and that is to enhance the image of the public service machinery in Papua New Guinea.

Speaking during his welcome back ceremony as the Minister for Public Service in the 11th Parliament he urged all Departmental Heads, Provincial and District Administrators to perform to their best as mandated servants of the people.

Minister Sungi urged departmental heads to address issues such as public servants’ attendance, punctuality, and work ethics by scrutinizing their staff through their Performance Appraisals that are completed twice yearly, and more importantly, spend time with their officers.

He strongly emphasized the need for Public Servants to be on the ground to serve wherever they are paid to be stationed.

“You are not here to serve Waigani but the 96 Districts, 6,000 wards, and 3,000 LLGs; you are the servant of the people’’.

The Minster stressed that Departmental heads must now be held accountable for the decisions they make that put unnecessary burden and stress on the taxpayers.

‘’ Any Departmental Head that is found to be incompetent and does not properly manage the discipline process of Public Servants, and if the Public Services Commission finds that there were errors in that decision, the Departmental Head will pay for the damages from his/her own pocket and not pass on to the taxpayers of this country to pay,” said Minister Sungi.

 Minister Sungi said there are a lot of issues that are still outstanding and will be discussed and worked on in consultation with the heads of the Department of Personnel Management (DPM), Public Service Commission (PSC), and the Pacific Institute of Leadership and Governance (PILAG) as concerned agencies in Public Service.

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