JUNE 3, 2023
Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has challenged the Post-Courier to provide proof that K300 million allocated for the 2022 National General Election was diverted to “fund Government ministers without control”.
He said this in response to a front-page report in the Post-Courier of Friday, June 2, 2023 – purportedly from the National Intelligence Organisation (NIO) which comes under the Department of Prime Minister & National Executive Council (PM & NEC) – with the headline “K300 million corruption”.
“If the Post-Courier had done a proper investigation instead of cheap gutter journalism, by simply going to the 2022 Final Budget Outcome (FBO) (please click to download), it would have seen a full breakdown of the K695.8 million 2022 National Election Spending by Agencies. I attach a copy of Page 32 of the 2022 FBO (please click to download) for the benefit of the people of Papua New Guinea – to whom the Post-Courier continues to lie to – in the guise of ‘investigative journalism’.
“Unlike previous years’ elections, the 2022 NGE was coordinated through a committee called the Inter-Departmental Election Committee (IDEC). This committee was chaired by the Secretary for Department of PMNEC Ivan Pomaleu. The committee comprised of all departmental heads of agencies participating in the 2022 NGE, including the Departments of Treasury and Finance.
“Compared to the cost of running the 2017 NGE, the cost of running the elections in 2022 increased significantly by 88.8 per cent from K368.5 million to K695.8 million. This money was divided among all agencies involved in the 2022 elections.
“I am quite surprised that the Post-Courier has the audacity to again peddle such lies, against my Government, claiming that K300 million was diverted to ‘fund Government ministers without control’.
“Their reporter, Jeffrey Elapa, asked me after I arrived from Korea on Thursday if I had seen the NIO report to which I said I had not.
“However, the next day, the newspaper proclaims to Papua New Guinea and the world that there was K300 million corruption by ministers in my Government.
“My Government is not in the business of corruption. If the Post-Courier has any shred of evidence of corruption, then the newspaper is welcome to table the evidence and be a complainant.”
PM Marape said the Post-Courier could have simply gleaned the truth by going to the PNG Treasury website https://www.treasury.gov.pg/ and downloaded the 2022 FBO.
“The Post-Courier, if its reporters had bothered to, would have found out that for the 2022 NGE:
- K311.3 million was allocated to the PNG Electoral Commission;
- K240.2 million was allocated to the Royal PNG Constabulary;
- K105.9 million was allocated to the PNG Defence Force;
- K14.6 million was allocated to PNG Correctional Service;
- K3 million was allocated to the State Solicitors Office;
- K2.5 million was allocated to the Ombudsman Commission;
- K10 million was allocated to the National Broadcasting Corporation;
- K1 million was allocated to Department of Prime Minister & NEC;
- K2.5 million was allocated to the National Intelligence Organisation;
- K1 million was allocated to the Registrar of Political Parties; and
- K2.7 million was allocated to Department of Information & Communication.
“All these figures add up to K695.8 million. Where is the K300 million the Post-Courier claims was diverted to ‘fund Government ministers without control’?” PM Marape said.
“PNG must now be aware that since 2020, there have been many – in both formal and social media – deliberately peddling fake news with headlines to cause public distrust about my Government which is working very hard to fight for the PNG interest.”
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