By William Garena
The Registry of Political Parties took part in a nation-wide consultation to review the form and system of government together with key government agencies. The Constitutional and Law Reform Commission (CLRC) was tasked to take lead in the review process. The review began with its launching at Holiday Inn, Port Moresby on 16th February 2023 by the Prime Minister Honourable James Marape.
The focus of the review is based on four key areas: system of government; current structure of the National Parliament; election of Prime Minister; and the different levels of government. The purpose of the review is critical as it takes stock of how far we’ve come as a nation since independence in 1975. The review will inform us if the current systems are workable or it requires change to suit our development aspirations.
An External Secretariat was formed to support CLRC during the review process and included Department of Provincial and Local Level Government Affairs, Department of Prime Minister and National Executive Council, Department of National Planning and Monitoring, Department of Finance, Department of Treasury, Department of Justice and Attorney General, National Economic and Fiscal Commission and Registry of Political Parties.
The nation-wide consultations was conducted on 5th March – 18th May 2023 to which the Registry of Political Parties played an integral part in gauging the views of the people on the four key areas of inquiry. Apart from the nation-wide consultations, the Registry of Political Parties submitted a technical paper on how the political party system would be affected by the direct election of the Prime Minister.
A final report including the recommendations is expected to be submitted to the Prime Minister and NEC in February 2024 before it goes to Parliament for deliberation and rectification.
Finally, the Registry of Political Parties is grateful to be part of the government’s reform initiatives and thanks the CLRC in particular for providing the leadership in this important government activity. The Registry of Political Parties looks forward to contributing meaningfully to future reform initiatives set by the National Government.