Transcript
Prime Minister Peter O'Neill has been signalling government intent to create a Commission Against Corruption for several years.
After losing its way within the bureaucracy in recent years, the bill is now being prepared by officials, according to Davis Steven
He says it was one of the last instructions he gave as minister to the Secretary of Justice (Dr Eric Kwa).
"The final draft must now go to parliament. We can't just continue to pussy-foot round. It's taken decades for someone in Waigani - whether technocrats or whoever - to do their bit. I think the time has come for this bill to go to parliament."
PNG civil society groups were concerned about an earlier draft of the ICAC bill where it appeared to remove powers of arrest and prosecution proposed in earlier versions.
They are watching closely for what sort of bill emerges now.
Lawrence Stephens is a member of Transparency International PNG which has been involved in consultations around the bill...
"We'd be really happy to see legislation come forward, and we would also be watching carefully to see that the legislation was the legislation that we were pushing for, with all the strengths that an ICAC requires."
PNG's law enforcement agencies have been under resourced for years, undermining the fight against systemic and systematic corruption in the country.
Lawrence Stephens says that for an ICAC to work it has to be backed up by support for existing institutions whose work relates to the commission.
"And it's always been our position that we need to be sure that introducing ICAC goes hand in hand with support for the existing institutions, the police, courts, ombudsman and so on. We're watching for that. We're insisting that that be part of this process."
But the opposition MP Kerenga Kua doubts the government will make good on its latest promise to create an ICAC.
Mr Kua formerly served as Attorney-General and Justice Minister in the O'Neill government from 2012 to 2014
He says a true ICAC works against the accrued personal interests of this government,
"It's not in their personal interests to introduce this bill. Either they will not table it, or if they do table it
then it will be a completely watered down, useless version of the ICAC, which will serve no purpose at all, with no wide-ranging powers to do the things that it's supposed or intended to be doing."
The anti-corruption group Act Now has warned against moves to put the Prime Minister in charge of appointing the commissioners in an ICAC.
But Mr Steven denies that the prime minister would have any say.
"It's not the prime minister. It's a committee, and the composition of the committee is not entirely political. It's the ombudsman and a few others who are obviously independent from politics."
Davis Steven resigned from cabinet last week, citing a need for a new approach to government, saying that rule of law was at stake.
Still a member of government, the Esa'ala MP says creating an ICAC is a matter of great public interest.
But he admits that bills such as this too often lose momentum in the system.
