Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has made it clear that his Government is enforcing long-standing laws requiring accountability across the public service, warning that public officials who fail to comply with statutory reporting obligations without legitimate reason will face dismissal.
Responding to today’s Post-Courier front-page report, “Will the 70 Go?”, Prime Minister Marape said the Government was not introducing a new policy but implementing laws that have existed for decades and which successive governments had failed to consistently enforce.
“We are not playing games. We are dead serious,” Prime Minister Marape said.
“This is the Year of Reset. Every public servant, every minister and every public official must carry out their responsibilities according to law. These reporting requirements are not new. They are already contained in our laws, and this Government is simply enforcing them.
“The question is not whether these laws exist—they do. The question is whether we have the courage to enforce them. My Government does.”
Prime Minister Marape said the review process was already underway and would determine which officers had complied with their legal obligations and which had failed to do so without legitimate reason.
“If officers have genuine reasons—such as reports that were submitted but delayed in processing, administrative oversights or other legitimate circumstances—those matters will be fairly considered.
“But where there is deliberate or repeated failure to comply with the law, there will be consequences. There is no time for mercy. There is no time for second chances for those who have knowingly ignored the law.”
The Prime Minister said the Government had identified officers who had repeatedly failed to submit mandatory annual reports despite years of reminders.
“There is evidence that some have become serial non-respondents to these legal reporting requirements. That culture must end. “Prime Minister Marape said the reporting obligations are established under existing laws, including the Constitution, the Public Services (Management) Act, the Public Finances (Management) Act, the Audit Act 1989, the Organic Law on Provincial Governments and Local-level Governments, and other legislation governing the responsibilities of Section 32 officers.
“These laws require departmental heads and other Section 32 officers to prepare and submit annual reports and financial statements, account for the use of public finances, and make their agencies available for independent audit by the Auditor-General. These are statutory obligations, not optional administrative exercises.”
He said these legal requirements had existed for many years, but governments over the past five decades had failed to consistently enforce them.
“For almost 50 years, these laws have often been overlooked. Governments changed, ministers changed, elections came and went, and the discipline of annual reporting gradually disappeared.
“The difference today is that this Government is implementing the law exactly as Parliament intended.”
Prime Minister Marape said all ministers had been instructed to appoint deputies to oversee the review process across their respective portfolios, while the Chief Secretary, Department of Personnel Management and the Public Services Commission had been tasked with coordinating the exercise.
He warned that anyone attempting to obstruct the process would also be held accountable.
“If anyone—including officials responsible for administering this process—stands in the way of lawful enforcement, they too will be asked to vacate office.”
The Prime Minister noted that successive Chief Secretaries had issued numerous circulars and reminders since 2023, reinforcing obligations that already existed in law.
“No one can say they were unaware. These requirements are contained in legislation and have been reinforced repeatedly through official directives. Every agency head should already know that compliance is part of the office they hold.”
Prime Minister Marape said he had directed that the entire review process be completed before Independence Day on September 16, 2026, as part of the Government’s 50th Year of Reset agenda.
“I want this process completed before September 16 this year as part of our 50th Year of Reset.
“This process must be completed. It will send a clear signal that as we step into our 51st year and beyond, public office is not a place where people simply pass time doing nothing. Every public servant and every public official must be working consistently with the laws of our country.”
The Prime Minister said the completion of the review before the nation celebrates its 51st Independence Anniversary would mark the beginning of a new era of accountability across the public service.
“Every year, once the financial year ends on 31 December, every agency head should know that preparing and submitting the agency’s annual report and financial statements is among their first responsibilities. Those reports must be submitted within the statutory timeframes so they can be audited by the Auditor-General and tabled through the proper processes.
“Accountability cannot exist without timely reporting and independent audit. “This is what the Year of Reset is about. As Papua New Guinea moves beyond its first 50 years, we are building a culture where accountability, transparency and respect for the rule of law become the standard—not the exception.”