20 Jun 2011

Bishops in PNG want end to MPs abuse of slush funds

7:19 pm on 20 June 2011

The Catholic Bishops Conference of Papua New Guinea has called for an end to the current system of allocating constituency development funds for MPs to distribute.

The Conference has decided to take a stand against corruption among parliamentarians who the Bishops largely blame for the misuse of millions of kina of public funds.

It warns that there are increasing signs of the so-called slush funds being used by MPs for electioneering and personal profit.

The general secretary of the Conference, Father Victor Roche, says that leaving the distribution of the funds to an MP's discretion has become a massive waste of public money.

"We not only do not support these slush funds, we also do not ask any of the parliamentarians to give us any of these handouts. And we will go for proper accounting, proper budgeted projects that will help the electorates, is transparent and accounted for."

Father Victor Roche