By Zebedee Giame
The Constitutional Law Reform Commission (CLRC) is mandated to review all laws in the country and make recommendations to the government for reform.
As part of the mandate, the CLRC is reviewing the forms and systems of government, focusing on the election of the Prime Minister by the people.
CLRC commissioner Reverend Dr Jack Urame says the commission is now running with reviews through four main areas:
- The System of Government,
- The Parliamentary System,
- The Head of State and
- The Election of the Prime Minister.
Rev. Urame explains that for the system of government review, the commission is asking for opinions to see if PNG needs a three-tier, two-tier or one level system of government.
He says the CLRC is also reviewing to see if PNG needs a Unicameral parliamentary system that PNG is using now or a Bicameral parliamentary system where there is a upper and lower house of representatives.
The commission is also reviewing who should be the head of state for PNG.
CLRC commissioner explains the commission is also looking at:
- should the people elect the Prime Minister
- how the prime ministerial candidate should be nominated,
- what system of voting should be used,
- qualifications for eligibility to contest; and
- how the votes will be counted.
The members and representatives from various sectors of the Morobe Economic and Social Services sector are now engaging with the commission.
The review will be running in Lae for at least five days.
Most of the attendees are women. The women leaders in Lae are calling for the review to be done at the district levels rather than in the main regional centres.
Meanwhile, Senior Public Servant Gideon Nasa, made the remarks saying the government system that PNG is using at the moment is fine but it is those that are implementing the system that causes chaos and obstacles.
He further went on to state that Lae Urban Local Level Government office is a constitutional office attached to the Lae District under the three-tier government system.
However, Mr Nasa says an act of parliament that was introduced and implemented by the Lae City Authority which is a duplicate of the functions of the Lae Urban Local Level Government Office.
Lae Chamber of Commerce and Industry Senior Councillor Nelly MacLay also shared the same sentiments saying the current government system will function if there are checks and balances in the right places.
Participants are now calling on the Constitutional Lae Reform Commission to do more awareness in the communities on what the benefits of the decentralized or three-tier government system is, before any reforms could be made.
