Greater accountability of public funds distributed through DSIP and Public Procurement are priorities.
Thursday 18th April 2024, Port Moresby – The Community Coalition Against Corruption (CCAC) convened its first steering committee meeting for 2024 this week (Tuesday 16/04/2024) at the Holiday Inn Port Moresby to set priority areas of action, which now includes DSIP and improved accountability of the distribution of Public Funds.
“Our communities are victims of corrupted procurement and misused public funds, when our taxes are given to questionable contractors who mismanaged these funds and in return we get poor quality roads, substandard airports and incomplete maritime facilities. The flow on social impact on the lives of citizens and the additional costs incurred by business is immense,” said Mr Peter Aitsi, as TIPNG Chair and CCAC Co-Chair.
“The CCAC was reactivated in 2021 and came together last year notably to oppose proposals by the Government to limit media freedoms through a contentious policy. The CCAC was concerned at the threatened erosion of citizens constitutional rights by what appeared to be the Government’s bulldozing of policies and laws without proper consultation with our communities.” said Mr Neville Choi, as Media Council President and CCAC Co-chair.
The CCAC Steering Committee is co-chaired by Transparency International Papua New Guinea and the Media Council of PNG, and comprises of the Council of Churches, Catholic Bishops Conference, Trade Union Congress, Center for Environmental Law and Community Rights, Advancing PNG: Women Leaders Network, and the Lae Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The CCAC Steering Committee was appointed following a National Meeting in Lae, Morobe Province in April 2023. The meeting was attended by 46 community-based organizations and industry representatives, including the Trade Union Congress and the media, and 18 members of the Lae Chamber of Commerce & Industry representing the business sector. Participants came from all regions of Papua New Guinea.
The Steering Committee was tasked with developing a work program that can trigger action to progress the priority areas identified by the Community Coalition Against Corruption in the National Meeting.
The CCAC’s priority areas include:
- Achieving safe, free & fair elections
- Improved Public Sector Accountability
- Protection of Media Freedoms
- Greater levels of transparency & accountability within Public Procurement
- More efficient and transparent administration of land titles
- Improved reporting and more public visibility of the use of District Services Improvement Program (DSIP) Funds
Background of CCAC
Initially founded in 2002 and relaunched in 2021, the CCAC is a loose network of organizations and community networks that come together to discuss and make recommendations on national governance issues. Transparency International PNG (TIPNG) and the Media Council of PNG currently co-chair the CCAC. The Coalition’s operations, its agenda and priorities are determined by CCAC members. The CCAC works through its membership to empower communities to be informed, mobilize and take action on corruption.
The Coalition’s operations, its agenda and priorities will be determined by CCAC members. Any organizations interested in joining the CCAC can contact secretariat on email address, barbra.kunai@transparencypng.org.pg .
