Report reveals PNG perspective on corruption

By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday, November 17, 2013 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)

Transparency International PNG (TIPNG) released the report on a survey carried out in 2010 and 2011 to shed light on the Papua New Guinean view of corruption and anti-corruption efforts, last week in Port Moresby.

The survey report entitled, Papua New Guinean Understandings of Corruption, showed that many Papua New Guineans are concerned about corruption, but do not know what to do, or how to report it.

Presented findings in the report were taken from nine provinces that the survey was conducted in-which were Enga, Eastern Highlands, East Sepik, Milne Bay, Madang, National Capital District, New Ireland, Southern Highlands, and Sandaun Province.

Researchers spoke to over 1800 respondents about their perceptions of corruption and anti-corruption.

It highlighted that citizens were seriously concerned that those involved in corruption were not be prosecuted.

The report showed that corruption continues to affect the lives of many Papua New Guineans, with almost half of all respondents having personally found out about corruption.

77 per cent of respondents said that they were personally affected by it, with three quarters saying that the government should prioritize the fight against corruption.

Despite this, only one quarter knew the process of reporting corruption and 75 per cent said that they did not report corruption because those involved would not be prosecuted.

Most believed that poor enforcement, or poor leadership, caused corruption.

The survey also asked respondents to rate some of the country’s anti-corruption organisations during the survey period- 2010 to 2011. While 70% said that the churches were effective in keeping the government accountable, only 20 – 30% said that the police and parliament were effective.

One of the report’s authors, Grant Walton, from the Australian National University’s Development Centre, said that, “when respondents evaluated scenarios depicting corruption, most said that the scenarios were unacceptable, but fewer said they would cause harm.” He said that this suggests that “people are concerned about corruption, but many do not believe that it directly impacts on their lives.”

Dr Walton suggested that anti-corruption efforts could better demonstrate how corruption impacted on local communities. He also that more could be done  to show communities how accountability and transparency lead to better development outcomes.

TIPNG is concerned that until serious commitment is made to enhance governance systems, enforcing and upholding mandated processes, our communities will continue to suffer from lack of basic services. The anti-corruption organisation called for all citizens to do their part by respecting and upholding the law, holding government to account, and speaking out against corruption.