Deputy Prime Minister delivering his Keynote address today.


By Des Yaninen

Deputy Prime Minister Davis Steven today issued a stern directive to all Departments and Statutory Regulatory Agencies to stop talking and start working. He said we've been developing polices since the 1980s that haven't been implemented, have been forgotten or lapsed. He spoke of a 1998 NEC decision for the Trade Policy that only got implemented in 2016.

He gave an example of how under his leadership as Minister for Justice and Attorney General, he accelerated the implementation of a key recommendation under the Trade Policy to develop an Ecommerce legislation and how this bill was now ready to go to Parliament. The Marape Steven government is serious about taking action and in order to Take Back PNG, everyone will be held accountable from the Ministers down.

State Ministers have been put on performance based appointments and all Department Heads and Senior Public Servants will have their positions advertised and they will have to reapply. It seems to us that many will lose their jobs for non performance. It's time to stop talking and start working.