A brief guide to transparency and governance in Papua New Guinea.

Corruption is a key issue in PNG, especially in the public sector. PNG was ranked 137^th out of 183 countries in Transparency International’s 2019 Corruption Perception Index. PNG scored 28/100 on the index, below the global average of 43/100, the worst record of any country in the Pacific.

Transparency International has stated that a report by the Ombudsman Commission of Papua New Guinea released in 2018 recorded 115 allegations of corruption against different members of Parliament since independence in 1975.

The allegations range from the allocation of funds to private accounts and to unidentifiable, unregistered and non-existent groups. In addition, allegations included the allocation of funds without proper procedures.

PNG’s Prime Minister, James Marape, said in 2019 that the country had lost billions of kina in government revenue because of corruption.

Institutions

While the Ombudsman Commission and Leadership Tribunal are two institutions that have a role to play in the fight against corruption, there is  broad appreciation that more needs to be done.

Transparency International PNG encourages the reporting of corruption and runs awareness campaigns, while a Business Coalition Against Corruption has been established over several years.