Registry reviewing payments to party officials

Caption: Registrar Dr Alphonse Gelu

By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday, December 7, 2014 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)

THE Registry for Political Parties and Candidates (RPPC) is reviewing the salaries of political party official that are being paid by the state through the registry as allowed through the Organic Law on the Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates (OLIPPAC).

Registrar of RPPCDr Alphonse Gelusaid that under the current organic law- General Secretaries of Political Parties are paid on a fortnightly salary to only parties that have members in parliament.

“The salary comes from the state through the registry to administer, andthey are paid on grade 20, which (in the public service) is equivalent to a deputy secretary level,” DrGelu said.

“That is the reason why I have been quite critical about their performance, because when I came in to the registry I put a stop to the payment of gratuities and leave entitlements- these guys get so much.”

“We had instances where one party official came in with 17 dependents; a child was born today, tomorrow, and the next day.”

He said that despite the generous pay grade, there is no way in which the registry could monitor their performance- adding that payments like gratuity were performance based type of entitlement which were stopped in 2012 due to that nature.

“You have to perform in order for you to get gratuity, so they haven’t being doing and that is why we stopped it, with the Salaries Remuneration Commission (SRC), supporting us.”

“What we are doing now is that we have set up a committee within the registry for us to look into those entitlements.”

“The presidents and treasurers are paid monthly stipend of about K1200- I have been quite critical because many of those presidents and treasurers we do not even know them, and this office does not even know them but every month I sign off these requisitions.”

DrGelu said that he was dealing with faceless individuals but had no choice as the OLIPPAC allowed this to take place.

“I am dealing with faceless people- so what we have been doing in the registry is to get photographs of them,” Gelu explained.

“Whenever we find them or they drop into the office we try to get photographs so we know exactly who the treasurers are and who the presidents are.”

“For the general secretaries we do see them as they deal with us on a regular basis.”

He said that once parties become more organized, there will come a time whenthe registry will have to review the law to put a stop to it.

He said despite the State’s generosity towards them since the inception of the OLIPPAC in 2001 they were not doing their part by acquitting their funds.

“They are required also by law to acquit their funds andit is very disappointing that they have not been doing this,” the Registrar added.

“One of the things I did was to ask for their annual activities plans on a month by month on a week by week basis.”

“They did not respond, and yet they want gratuities and leave entitlements, which I have refused to entertain, because they do not report to us about their performance.”

“Grade 20 equates to about K3000 a fortnight on top of that are the allowances and right now they are on payroll, but we have put a stop to gratuity and leave entitlements.”

Registry Director for Corporate Services Peter Wotomu added that under the gratuity policy in the public service states that such allowances be paid to permanent contracted public servants or contract officers.

“Contract officers are from grade 14 to 20, anybody who is employed from grade 14 to 20 are contract officers under the current law, and they are the only ones eligible for gratuity because they are permanent public servants,” Wotomu said.

“Because they are not public servants they cannot get that, as these privileges are mainly performance, and the political party executives there is no way we can asses their performance.”