PNG's Hela learns how to deal with corruption

Transcript

Leaders in Papua New Guinea's Hela Province have recently come together to learn more about corruption and how to deal with it.

The 'Dealing with Dilemmas' workshops, are jointly run by the Hela Young Ambassadors for Peace and the PNG-Australia Law and Justice Partnership.

The chair of the ambassadors group, Moses Komengi, says the workshops are very much needed in Hela.

Hela is a new province and Don Wiseman spoke with the provincial deputy administrator, Pius Pape, asking him about the extent of corruption there.

PIUS PAPE: Corruption has been there even before we became a province to a certain degree that is what I think.

DON WISEMAN: Give me an idea of the nature of that corruption?

PP: When we talk about corruption I think we are talking about misuse or mismanagement or misappropriation of public funds nepotism and separatism to family or a group a business and not making decisions or dealing with the cases according to merit. I think these are what I see as corruption from where I am.

DW: Yes you have said that corruption is a serious threat that can eat away at the fabric of a society at an alarming rate. Now is that happening in Hela?

PP: Well when I wrote that statement I really wrote that in the context of the as PNG at the national level. But yes I am not saying that there is no corruption in Hela. Yes there is, there are certain degree and you know there is corruption everywhere. You know at the clan level, family level at the government offices there is certain degree of corruption and corruption existed in Hela yes.

DW: You've been holding workshops involving government workers, you've focused on what?

PP: This is why we looked at different types of corruption how they occur and you know where they exist you know that workshop was a very good opportunity for us to really look at what is happening here in terms of corruption. Not only in Hela but in PNG context as well. We looked at different forms and types of corruption and what we should be doing to really stop or eradicate the corruption in the government, in the public offices in the community and so forth.

DW: Do you have a sense that you are winning people over to your way of thinking I mean are people understanding about corruption more?

PP: Well there were about 15 to 20 people mostly civil servants and also various people who are dealing with the communities these people participated in the workshop and we learned a lot about how we should try to stop corruption and that was a useful information for us and yes these people who attended the workshop I am sure they are out there in the community at different levels and they will make some impacts in stopping this corruption you know. But we have long way to go in terms of stopping corruption completely.