2/11/2022

By Nadia Marai

The Public Services Commission of Papua New Guinea was pleased to host its Melanesian counterpart, the Public Services Commission of Vanuatu in an important meeting held yesterday at the Commission’s office at Waigani attended by the Chairman of PSC in PNG Mr. Apeo Fuata Sione together with Commissioner National Ms. Judith Stenis, Commissioner Provincial Mr. Joseph Aka, Secretary, PSC Secretariat Mr. Terence Tupi and Senior Management Committee.

The delegation from PSC Vanuatu included Secretary PSC Mr. James Melteres and VIPAM Chairman and Executive Officer of the Ministry of Youth Sport Development Mr. Rex Tandak who are part of a visiting delegation from the Government of Vanuatu currently in PNG to review and validate courses under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Pacific Institute of Leadership & Governance (PILAG).

Secretary Melteres in the meeting highlighted the differences between the two (2) Commissions and added that PSC Vanuatu is here to learn and adopt some best practices, particularly the Merit Based Appointment Process used by PSC PNG in the

recommendation of appointments of Departmental Heads. Furthermore, he stressed the need for Constitutional bodies to carry out their roles and functions without political interference.

Another important agenda that was discussed was to have PSC PNG work in collaboration with other public service agencies in the Pacific region for organizations to learn from each other and perform their roles more efficiently and effectively.

The meeting was particularly to establish and improve existing partnerships between the two organizations in the Pacific and to foster a greater bilateral and multi-cultural understanding and corporation in the Melanesian Spearhead Group (PSG).

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1/11/2022

By Nadia Marai

‘The Public Services Commission (PSC) is serious about its Anti-corruption stance; therefore, we have aligned ourselves to other institutions of integrity who are promoters of good governance and are at the forefront in the fight against corruption. Organizations like TIPNG, ICAC and Ombudsmen Commission among other institutions of integrity.

We are focused on restoring confidence and trust in our decisions and recommendations and to uphold our Mission which is to promote a highly competent, non-partisan and representative Public Service that is based on the values of fairness, integrity, transparency, accountability and accessibility’.

These were the sentiments shared by the Chairman of the Public Services Commission Mr Apeo Fuata Sione, during the launch of the Public Services Commission Anti-Corruption and Integrity strategy on Friday the 28th of October, 2022.

PSC’s Anti-Corruption & Integrity Strategy was developed as a result of a partnership with Transparency International PNG in October 2021, and is the Commission’s first Anti-Corruption Strategy at the agency level, that is home grown and is specifically tailored for PSC.

‘’Through our partnership with TIPNG, the Public Services Commission was able to develop a Strategy containing four (4) Key Objectives and eight Key Priority Areas for implementation. The four Key Objectives are ‘Promoting and Strengthening Honest Leadership in PSC; Ensuring Compliance and Accountability in PSC; Fostering an Anti-Corruption Culture in PSC; and Building Capacity and maintaining effective people management systems’’.

‘’What PSC expects to achieve from the Strategy is a strong culture that values, promotes and rewards honesty and ethical leaders; that the compliance and enforcement of PSC’s decisions within the mandatory time-frame are strengthened; internal mechanisms to detect and counter fraud and misappropriation are strengthened ; that corruption complaints against our staff involving bribery, extortion and conflict-of interest are clearly identified and addressed efficiently and effectively within the time-frame of 30 Days, which is an internal process specifically developed to address allegations of corruption complaints both internally and externally that will be managed through the Anti-Corruption & Complaints Desk which has been created through this strategy. It means the Commission can now take action on its staff, even refer them to relevant authorities if need be, regardless of the alleged complaint made’’ said Mr Sione.

He stressed that the reality in PNG is that our people have lost confidence in the systems of governance within the Public Service, therefore the onus is upon us here today to convince the people of Papua New Guinea whom we serve, that the fight against corruption is still worthwhile, and starts with organizations like the Public Services Commission.

Mr. Sione also took the opportunity to acknowledge the support of TIPNG, Square Circle Australia and PSCs Anti-Corruption & Integrity Strategy Committee Mr David Hanaromo, Ms Racheal Wii and Ms Dorah Gawi for their immense contributions in developing this strategy.

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1/11/2022

The Public Services Commission in partnership with the Transparency International (TIPNG) successfully launched its agency level Anti-Corruption & Integrity Strategy on Friday 28th October, 2022.

Chief Executive Officer of TIPNG Ms. Arianne Kassman commended the Public Services Commission for this milestone achievement towards the state’s efforts in achieving the National Anti-Corruption Strategy 2020-2030.

‘’On this occasion we celebrate the dedication and effort of the Commission in developing your first agency-level anti-corruption strategy. This commitment speaks to the importance the Commission places on ensuring that it is fully equipped to fulfil its mandated functions. As Chairman Sione rightfully states in the foreword, the strategy we are launching today is home grown and specifically tailored for the Public Services Commission.

“We at TIPNG fully support the key objectives of the strategy, notably the fostering of an anti-corruption culture in PSC. The PSC in the Strategy identifies that it has a moral obligation to perform its role free of corruption, and this ethos should be shared across all state agencies in PNG,” said Ms Kassman.

This initiative was made possible by TIPNG with funding from the European Union, through the Promoting Anti-Corruption & Integrity Strategies (PAIS) Project. The overall objective of this project is to strengthen public trust in state agencies.

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Thursday 29^th September 2022

The Department of Personnel Management (DPM) in collaboration with the Department of Information, Communication & Technology hosted a joint Digital Human Resource Transformation Forum at the APEC Haus in Port Moresby on Monday the 26^th of September to disseminate information on critical ICT Policy Reforms to the HRM and ICT fraternity in the National Public Service.

The key objective of this initiative was to inform all Human Resource Management and ICT Units in the public service of the Digital HRM Transformation Roadmap the DICT, which is in collaboration with DPM.

Minister for Public Service Hon. Joe Sungi, MP, who spoke at the opening of the forum expressed the need for all Government Human Resources Business processes to be digitalized to be on par in today’s modern era.

“We have to prioritize human resources as there has been a lack of information and unreliable data on manpower that needs to be improved over public servants’ performances,” he said.

Minister Sungi said little attention had been paid to the Human Resource Divisions which needs to be revived to ensure they keep track of all public servants’ level of competence and commitment in the office.

“The Human Resource Divisions need to do away with paperwork because this is the time to use the digitalized and online systems so that we can create publication forms, conduct online recruitment, and track performances and recommend reward or punishment accordingly. Information Technology’s intervention can improve the public service, modernize the public service systems, introduce automation and digitalize HR business processes to generate rich information for good decision-making”, said Minister Sungi.

He further added that this is a development project for DPM in the information technology space which is in line with the forum’s theme Driving digital HR transformation through strategic leadership.

The Digital HR Transformation Forum is to advocate for the digitalization of the Public Service General Orders and automation of all associated HRM business processes.

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Senior Legal Officer, Ms. Fiona Yandi from the Public Services Commission was among forty-four (44) other women from both the private and public sectors who graduated with certificates in Leadership & Management from the Business Coalition for Women Leadership.

Ms. Yandi’s participation was made possible with financial assistance from the Australian Government through the Australian Awards which have also supported 28 other female Public Servants.

The graduation saw the combination of Cohorts 15, 16, & 17 celebrate the achievement of 45 emerging female leaders who completed the Business Coalition for Women (BCFW) 6 months certificate course that aims to meet specific PNG industry needs and is designed to develop leadership and managerial skills of women in the workforce who have the potential to take up supervisory or managerial posts.

When initially taking up the course Ms. Yandi said given the fact that we are a Melanesian society people tend to think women lack the capabilities to take up managerial positions in organizations but if only we could break that barrier, we will see a lot more women moving up to top positions.

Ms. Yandi is now equipped with good managerial and leadership skills and looks forward to implementing the skills and knowledge gained from this course in her line of duty.

Since its inception in 2015, over 300 women from 70 organizations representing a diversity of industries have graduated from the Coalition’s Certificate IV in Leadership.

‘’The Coalition is the go-to resource for gender equality and our solutions, which are tailor-made for PNG’s corporate sector, and helps businesses understand the value that their female staff brings to the company. The Certificate IV Leadership & Management Course helps businesses develop and reap the benefits of having gender diversity in their leadership in team’’ explained Evonne Kennedy who is the BCFW Executive.

The Public Services Commission continues to support the up-skilling of its officers to help them to perform their duties more effectively and efficiently and also allows officers to grow into managerial roles in the Commission offering equal opportunities for both men and women.

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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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Continuing your professional development essentially ensures that you are proficient and competent in your profession. It can also furnish you with essential skills that can help you progress in your career.

Those were the sentiments shared by the Director of the Legal, Advisory and Litigation Division Mr. Richard Simbil who graduated from the University of Papua New Guinea with the highest-Grade Point Average (GPA) after completing the Masters of Economics & Public Policy (MEPP) Program in April 2022.

Mr. Simbil is a lawyer by profession and began his career with Paraka Lawyers in 2010 as a Junior Lawyer. He was fresh out of the Legal Training Institute at the time after being admitted to the Bar a year earlier. He worked with the firm for two (2) years before he successfully secured a scholarship to do his postgraduate studies at the Australian National University (ANU) under the Australian Development Scholarship (ADS). He was one of eight (8) successful PNG ADS scholars, who were further awarded the prestigious Australian Leadership Award (ALA).

In 2013, he went on to undertake a Master of Laws (LLM) program also at ANU and graduated with Merit in 2014.

Mr. Simbil returned to Papua New Guinea and joined the Public Services Commission (PSC) in 2015 as the Senior Legal Officer in the Legal, Advisory & Litigation Division. He worked in that capacity for about a year before he was promoted to the position of Director of the Legal Division. In his tenure as Director, he also served as the Acting Commissioner Provincial from the 27^th of April, 2020 to early January, 2022 when a permanent appointment was made and he reverted to his substantive position.

In 2019, with the endorsement of the PSC Training Committee, he applied to undertake the Master of Economics & Public Policy course offered at the School of Business & Public Policy at UPNG which he completed in 2021 with flying colors.

Mr. Simbil said he decided to take up the course because he wanted to broaden his understanding of public policy and its development.

“After being employed in the public service for about five (5) years and being a manager for several years, I saw that I lacked a deeper understanding of public policy and its development. This became clearer to me when I was working on developing PSC’s legislation to amalgamate the Commission and the PSC Secretariat. I was searching for an opportunity to improve my knowledge to understand this area, and that was when I came across the Master of Economics & Public Policy course, and so I applied to UPNG to take up the program”, said Mr. Simbil.

He added that there were various topics covered in the course but there were some that stood out for him.

“Some of the topics included how to do research; how to address governance and developmental issues such as corruption and the challenges of sustainable development, etc. However, the three (3) topics that stood out for me and applied to my role as a manager were related to planning; that encompassed organizing and directing the completion of specific projects for the Commission whilst also ensuring that these projects are on time, on budget and within the scope to meet the objectives of PSC, which must also be in line with the PNG National Development Plan; another topic was corporate governance in an organization which I believe is very important”, stressed Mr. Simbil.

Armed with these new sets of skills and knowledge, Mr. Simbil said he is committed and focused and will contribute meaningfully to assisting PSC to fulfill its constitutional roles and functions, which will ultimately contribute to the development of PNG as a whole.

He thanked the good Lord for the blessings and protection that allowed him to complete his studies during the COVID-19 pandemic, and also thanked PSC for paying for his tuition fee for the first year of his studies. He also thanked his family, especially his wife, for the love and support at home, that helped him to focus on his studies and work at the same time.

Mr. Simbil also encouraged other officers of the Commission and colleagues within the Public Service to pursue further studies to upgrade their qualifications.

“The good thing about being a public servant is that you will be supported if you meet the requirements of your organization’s internal Training & Development Policy as well as Public Service General Order 6. My advice to everyone is to set your goals and be motivated and focused to achieve them”, he said.

The Public Services Commission commended Mr. Simbil for his determination and perseverance in attaining his Masters in Economic & Public Policy and also scoring the highest GPA in the course.

PSC continues to invest in up-skilling and enhancing the competencies of its human resource to achieve its goal as outlined in the PSC Corporate Plan 2019 – 2023 which is further streamlined through the PSC Training and Development Policy 2020 – 2023 that is aimed at providing relevant training for staff of the Public Services Commission.

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