NEW DAWN ON BOUGAINVILLE

210520-RAIVET PASS CONDOLENCE MESSAGE FOR THE PASSING OF THE LATE DR JUSTIN KEHATSIN.

NEW DAWN FM NEWS

THE Acting Chief Secretary of Bougainville Thomas Raivet on behalf of the ABG and the Bougainville Public Service has extend deepest sympathies to the immediate family of the Late Dr Justin Kehatsin and his people of Lontis, Haku Constituency.

Mr Raivet said it was with deep sadness that he learnt yesterday of the passing of one Bougainville's own senior statesman.

The late Dr Kehatsin was from Tegese village in the Haku Constituency. He joined the Bougainville Public Service in January 2017, where he served as the Secretary of the Department of Education until his timely passing.

He described the late Dr Kehatsin as a very humble man who served Bougainville and his people wholeheartedly, a simple man who displayed humility, gentleness in his character and a very loving person who served Bougainville with great commitment and dignity.

Mr Raivet said during the late Dr Kehatsin's time as a Secretary for Education, he had a vision to improve Bougainville's education quality and lift its standard to where Bougainville was prior to the crisis.

Prior to joining the Bougainville Public Service, the late Dr Kehatsin was a lecturer at the PNG University of Technology, under its Language and Communication Department.

He is survived by his wife and three children.

Mr Raivet said it is truly a sad time for Bougainville and acknowledge the unwavering efforts of the late Dr Kehatsin leadership in Bougainville's education sector.

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110819NOBETAU SENDS HIS CONDOLENCES
NEW DAWN FM NEWS

It is with deep sadness that I learnt today of the passing of the Bishop of
Bougainville, Bishop Bernard Unabali.
Bishop Unabali was a close personal friend of my family and myself. He visited us on our first diplomatic posting to Bonn, Germany and our friendship extends back more than 35 years.
Bishop Unabali tirelessly worked to support the local community. As a servant
of God, he devoted himself whole-heartedly to supporting the poor and the
needy and was always one to put the needs of others ahead of himself.

He was a true example of a Christian and lived his life by the principles that he
so eloquently preached.

For Bougainville, Bishop Unabali’s passing is a significant loss. He was an
ardent supporter of the peace process and actively supported long term
solutions to bring prosperity to the region.

He was an anti-corruption campaigner and was never one to shy away from expressing a view.

The world was all the better for Bishop Unabili’s contribution, and we are all so
much poorer for his loss.
May his soul rest in eternal peace, and may we all be
grateful for the contribution that he made.

Joseph Nobetau
Chief Secretary

DEPARTMENT OF PRESIDENT & BOUGAINVILLE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
OFFICE OF CHIEF SECRETARY
12 June 2019
Quarterly Update Report – March to June 2019
As we approach the half way mark of the year, it is timely to take stock and
assess the progress of the Bougainville Public Service.
There is no doubt that 2019 has been a challenging year.
We have continued to operate in an environment of fiscal restraint, absent of
constitutionally guaranteed grants, whilst continuing to progress critically
important initiatives.
This work has included continued work to cement peace in the region,
preparations for the referendum, public sector reform and the President’s
agenda to eliminate fraud and corruption.
The depth of this work has been particularly evident in our efforts as a public
service to bring accountability, transparency and good governance to all
aspects of our work. This has meant that at times, hard and difficult decisions
have had to be made. We have had to dismiss senior officers, and a number
of departmental officers implicated in fraud and theft have been terminated.
Yet, this is the correct path to take, and as a recent decision of the National
Court attested, the processes we have used to hold officers to account have
been in full accordance with the law.
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I am conscious that some within the public service, both former and current
public servants, continue to question why, as Chief Secretary, I have taken such
a strong and hard line on these issues. The answer is twofold. In the first
instance, I am doing what has always been asked of me by the President, which
is to hold those that do wrong to account. Second, under the Organic Law on
Leadership I have an obligation to uphold the law and act against those that do
wrong. And in doing so, I am upholding the rights of all Bougainvilleans, who
deserve better and who expect us to hold those that steal what does not belong
to them, to account.
Over recent months we have been working actively with the police fraud squad
who have a number of investigations on foot. These are important
investigations. Whilst as a public service we can take administrative action
against those that do engage in poor conduct, the extent of the powers available
to me as Chief Secretary only go so far. The fact is that those that break the
law need to be held to account for their crimes, and this means assessing their
conduct under the Criminal Code, and where appropriate, initiating criminal
proceedings. Those that break the law must understand that there are
consequences that extend beyond the loss of their job, but can include terms of
imprisonment or substantial fines, as prescribed by law.
At the same time, I continue to cooperate with the Ombudsman Commission on
range of matters. These extend to capacity building and education and
supporting our public servants to understand right from wrong, and their
administrative obligations.
Investigations into allegations of misconduct are not easy. They require the
use of valuable funds. They take up precious resources. They require
cooperation with a range of internal and external bodies. That is why I have
been working with institutions such as the National Audit Office, the Public
Service Commission and the Ombudsman Commission, to establish and
strengthen their presence within the region. By doing so, we can enhance
capacity, respond more effectively to issues and concerns, and ensure that
lawful process is followed.
All of this is about building accountability within our public service ranks. It is
about educating our public servants about their obligations: professional,
moral and lawful. And we are making headway. Those public servants that
seek to do the right thing are able to see justice when those around them do
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wrong. Those that break the law are bearing the consequences, and we are
professionalising our ranks and slowly building our capacity to respond to the
complex needs of Government.
Accountability is also about ensuring knowledge of process and understanding
what is required. This means that our public servants need to understand
their roles. They must also understand the foundations that uphold the
institutions they serve – the policies, the procedures and the laws.
I recently approved the release of a long awaiting handbook on Bougainville’s
autonomy arrangements. Those that have had an opportunity to review the
handbook, which was developed under the watchful leadership and guidance
of Deputy Chief Secretary Raivet and his team, will see that it provides
valuable information about autonomy arrangements. Practical information
about how autonomy works, and what needs to be done to leverage the
opportunities that the current autonomy arrangements provide. Indeed, this
was a clear recommendation of both Reviews undertaken on autonomy
arrangements in 2013 and 2018 and was a finding of the systemic
organisational capacity assessments undertaken in 2017. By educating our
public servants on the legal, administrative and operational foundations of
autonomy, we can in turn harness the benefits that these arrangements
provide.
One issue I wish to clarify, and Colonel Raivet has made this clear, is that the
autonomy handbook does not promote autonomy as a political model. It
simply articulates how the current arrangements work. It is a practical guide,
not a political document. Of course, after the referendum has taken place,
and a long-term political settlement has been agreed, we will look to develop
new practical resources to guide our public servants as they embrace the
challenges to come.
As an Autonomous Region we have very defined and specific powers that set
us apart from other Provinces. We have our own Constitution, our own
parliament, our own laws and of course, our own public service. We have
departmentalised and through that, enhanced leadership accountability
through the appointment of Departmental Secretaries. In short, it is important
that all our public servants step up and take their responsibilities seriously and
recognise that we are not just another province of PNG. Our public service is
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substantially more empowered, and it is time that our public servants step up
and rise to the challenge.
We must also continue to build our policy capacity. Again, under Colonel
Raivet’s leadership we are embarking on more detailed strategic planning,
aligning our whole-of-government efforts to our Strategic Development Plan
(SDP). While this process has taken longer than we would have liked, we are
making progress, and I want to acknowledge the support of our Development
Partners in this process.
I will shortly be convening a fully constituted meeting of the Central Agencies
Coordination Committee under Section 53 of the Bougainville Public Services
(Management and Administration Act) 2014 which will become the primary
coordination mechanism at the whole-of-government level. Meetings of the
Senior Management Committee in its current form will cease, as this
committee has no basis in law, however Department Heads may of course
continue to convene regular meetings of their own senior management team
as required.
In the law and justice sector, under the leadership of Secretary Nanei, we
continue to support the Bougainville Police Service (BPS) and our justice
institutions. As recent cases of lawlessness and violence have shown, now
more than ever before is the time to support our police.
As Chief Secretary I continue to review our organisation and operational
structures. I maintain the view that there is room for reform. We need a fit for
purpose public service capable of responding to the challenges of the future,
and that means being strategic in how we use the resources that we have,
and how we structure government agencies in the future. These are matters
that I continue to engage the President on.
On the referendum and peace building, we continue to make strong progress.
The Joint Supervisory Body meeting in March was a great success. The
referendum date was confirmed. The pathway for post referendum dialogue
has been set and we have made headway against key operational indicators.
International observers have been invited to observe the referendum, high
level descriptions have been agreed, Constitutional Regulations have been
gazetted and we are making headway in operationalizing arrangements for
the referendum to take place. With our international partners we continue to
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support the Bougainville Referendum Commission, and arrangements for the
conduct of the referendum are slowly falling into place.
Awareness raising continues at pace, with joint key messages signed off by
the National Government Chief Secretary and myself, a new edition of the
Bougainville Bulletin is about to be released, and we continue to explore how
we can harness technology further. These are all positive and practical
measures to help ensure our people remain informed.
We also continue to address a range of actions and outcomes from the last
meeting of the JSB, including securing the services of an independent expert
to advice on the calculation of the Restoration and Development Grant, work
towards a national reconciliation ceremony, validation of weapons disposals
and the continued review of powers that are available to be drawn down,
particularly in important revenue raising areas such as fisheries.
Before I conclude this update, I want to address continued speculation on
social media regarding my position. It is true that a former high-ranking leader
chose to publish a letter issued to me by the President. This was both
inappropriate and wrong and conduct unbecoming of a person who has
contributed much to the peace process. I won’t comment further on that
particular matter.
But the fact is that the information regarding concerns raised are now in the
public domain. I want to assure public servants that I have vigorously
defended the allegations raised. No public servant or leader is above the law,
and that includes myself as Chief Secretary. I have faith in the process and I
look forward to advice from the Bougainville Senior Appointments Committee
on their views on whether further steps are required.
In the meantime, I stand by my record as Chief Secretary and I stand by my
commitment to continue the work of enhancing reform and good governance.
I will continue to do what my conscience tells me is the right thing to do and I
will continue to act within the limits of my lawful authority, dutifully serving the
President and his team.
The challenge that we face is significant, but no path is too hard.
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Together, we will reform the public service and provide the foundation for
generations to come.
Joseph Nobetau

090619 DEFINITIONS APPROVED

NEW DAWN FM NEWS

The PNG Prime Minister JAMES MARAPE and the ABG President, Chief DR.JOHN MOMIS this week approved the definitions of the two options that will be in the ballot papers for the Referendum.

The two options are Independence and Greater Autonomy.

These were released by the ABG Chief Secretary and Head of the Bougainville Public Service, JOE NOBETAU.

President and PM have signed off on the high level definitions for the referendum options.

Agreed definitions are:

Independence: An independent nation state with sovereign powers and laws, recognized under international law and by other sovereign states to be an independent state, separate from the State of Papua New Guinea.



Greater Autonomy: A negotiated political settlement that provides for a form of autonomy with greater powers than those currently available under constitutional arrangements.

This means that the Referendum Awareness teams can now explain what these two options are to the people of Bougainville.
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240519 SEVEN MORE OFFICERS COME UNDER RADAR
New Dawn FM News
Chief Secretary Joseph Nobetau today announced that a further seven officers from the Autonomous Bougainville Government Public Service have been terminated for engaging in misconduct.
This action stems from the recently concluded investigation in relation to un-authorised negotiations with the National Government which led to the Termination of the Former Secretary for Peace Agreement Implementation.
“As Chief Secretary, I remain committed in my drive to ensure transparency and accountability at all levels within in the ABG Public Service. The conduct of these individuals, who each claim to have been acting on instructions from above, demonstrates the callous disregard for the rule of law and accepted practice that has become so entrenched in our Public Service Departments. I will not allow this to continue, and I place all public servants on notice that those that break the law and engage in bad behaviour will be held to account, regardless of the circumstances”, Mr Nobetau said.
In making the decision to terminate these officers, the Chief Secretary ensured that a full and open investigation process was followed. All officers were given an opportunity to respond to the allegations raised, and the decision to terminate employment was been made in full accordance with the Bougainville Public Services (Management and Administration) Act 2014. This is a process that was recently validated by the National Court in relation to another matter challenging this process.
“The fact is that any decision to remove an officer of the Public Service is not taken lightly, and only after a full natural justice process has taken place”, the Chief Secretary said.
Speaking further, the Chief Secretary noted that the terminated officers had breached public finance management legislation by negotiating and engaging with private business houses to seek loans. He indicated that such a practice was unacceptable and gave rise to almost K1 million in debt liability to the ABG.
“Business Houses need to be cautious of so called public servants seeking loans or money without authority. I accept that in some cases business genuinely lent money believing it was lawful, but the evidence also suggests, that some businesses conspired with officers in a deliberate intent to defraud the Government. These are now matters for police investigation, and I can assure the people of Bougainville that those that have engaged in unlawful practice will face the full consequence of the law”, Mr Nobetau said.
In concluding, the Chief Secretary made it clear that he continues to exercise the mandate of the President in dealing with these matters and placed all public servants on notice to abide by the law and put the interests of Bougainville first.
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121118CLEANUP CONTINUES
New Dawn FM News
The ABG Chief Secretary, JOSEPH NOBETAU today released names of ten Public servants that were dismissed from the Bougainville Public service last Friday.
In making the announcement, MR. NOBETAU said that the decision to dismiss these officers was not taken lightly but was taken as a last resort.
He said the decision to dismiss an officer has much more implications, not just on the individual themselves, but also their families.
However as the head of the Public service he could not tolerate actions that defraud the government t or undermine the important work that we do.
The Chief Secretary said that as Public servants all of us must project a professional image and all of us have an obligation to comply with the law.
He said those who steal do not steal from the government, but from the people of Bougainville and they must be held accountable.
MR. NOBETAU said that these officers that have been dismissed were implicated in significant misconduct.
He said that seven officers from the Department of Personal Management and administrative services were found through the ABG payroll audit to have manipulated systems and processes for personal gain.
Collectively these individuals stole more than THREE HUNDRED SIXTY THOUSAND KINA from the public purse.
He said that this was a blatant theft and was undertaken for personal gain.
The chief Secretary said such actions cannot go un-punished and he also confirmed that he has referred all officers implicated to the national fraud squad for investigation.
He said that he expects that those responsible will be prosecuted, if found guilty and should be held to the highest standards of criminal law.
MR. NOBETAU also said that three officers from the Department of Community Government have also been dismissed owing to a substantial fraud where large sums of monies were misappropriated from the Disaster trust fund.
Again these matters have been referred to the Police for further investigations.

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051118UPDATE ON BOUGAINVILLE PUBLIC SERVICE
New Dawn FM News
Chief Secretary to the Autonomous Bougainville Government, Joseph Nobetau today released the latest quarterly update report on the public service.
The report notes a number of areas where the public service has made progress. These include:
* Referendum preparations, including the question, the voting criteria, awareness and establishment of the BRC;
* Continued efforts to address peace and stability, including work on weapons disposal, reconciliation and dialogue with national and international partners;
* Public sector reform, including work to align priorities to the Strategic Development Plan, establishment of the Policy and Planning Unit, and proposals to restructure current departmental arrangements;
* Work to promote good governance, including progressing the finalisation of experts reports for the Second Joint Review of Autonomy Arrangements, reform of the SMC and the promotion of best practice;
* Initiatives to enhance economic development, investment, taxation reform and management of government owned businesses;
* Work to address corruption, including audits, investigations, referrals to the Ombudsman Commission, the BSAC and the police;
* Strengthened engagement with our key partners; and
* Enhanced support to District offices.
Nevertheless, the Chief Secretary noted that a number of challenges remain. These include the need to strengthen institutional linkages, ongoing funding constraints and the need for more effective evidenced based policy development and planning.
“The ABG Public Service has made some good progress, and I am pleased to see this. However, the fact is that the public service needs to be more responsive to government, more strategically focused on service delivery and more accountable to the people of Bougainville”, the Chief Secretary said.
A key focus over the coming six months will be supporting the referendum on Bougainville’s long-term political future which is scheduled to take place in June of next year.
“We must ensure that both the National Government and the ABG are engaged in the referendum process and supporting the Bougainville Referendum Commission to do its job”, Mr Nobetau said.
Mr Nobetau also noted the need for continued engagement with the National Government on constitutionally guaranteed grants and other aspects associated with the Bougainville Peace Agreement.
“Without funding it is not possible to deliver on the key priorities of the Government. It is essential that the issue of arrears owed under the Restoration and Development Grant be resolved as soon as possible”, the Chief Secretary said.
These issues, and others, will be considered when the Joint Supervisory Body next meets in January of next year.

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050617ABG PUBLIC SERVICE LAUNCHES CORPORATE PLAN
By Aloysius Laukai
The ABG Chief Secretary, JOSEPH NOBETAU wants all public servants on the ABG payroll to work for their money.
Speaking at the Launching of the ABG Public Service Corporate Plan at the Hutjena Secondary School hall last Friday, MR. NOBETAU, said that all ABG Public servants must work and not stay at home and get paid.
He said that many public servants were on the payroll but not at the work place.
MR. NOBETAU said that these people were stealing from the ABG and the taxpayers of Bougainville.
He said those days of getting paid for nothing are over and he would like to get rid of such public servants to instil credibility and discipline to the young Bougainville Public service machinery.
MR. NOBETAU also thanked those departments who presented their corporate plans to their ministers for their co-operation.
Departments that completed and presented their plans were, The Department of President and BEC, TREASURY AND FINANCE, MINERAL RESURCES, LANDS, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNITY GOVERNMENT, HEALTH, PEACE AGREEMENT IMPLEMENTATION, JUSTICE, EDUCATION, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND DPI.
For those who are yet to complete their plans are asked to complete theirs and present them to the Government as soon as possible.
The chief secretary said that the Corporate plans launched are foundational documents, they contain what each departments need to do to ensure that they deliver effective services.
They charter course and provide the accountability framework that we can use to report, measure and assess our progress.
Each plan articulates a vision and each Department’s key priorities but the development of the plans is just a beginning and the challenge for departments is turning these plans into actions.
He challenged all departments to ensure that these documents do not just sit and collect dusts on shelves but, must be used effectively as living documents that guide each Department’s work.

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Pictured is MR. JOSEPH NOBETAU by Aloysius Laukai

ABG Secretary Removed.

Anthony Kaybing

310517

The Autonomous Bougainville Government has removed its Secretary for Department of Presonnel Management and Administration, Paul Kebori after several allegations of misconduct were levelled against him.

Chief Secretary to the ABG Joseph Nobetau said that On Wednesday, 24 May 2017, he delivered a petition to Mr President Momis, in his capacity as Chair of the Bougainville Senior Appointments Committee.

“I asked that the allegations to be investigated and, if substantiated, that appropriate disciplinary action be taken against the officer concerned,” Mr Nobetau said.

Under the Bougainville Constitution and the Bougainville Senior Appointments Act 2014, responsibility for dealing with disciplinary matters involving constitutional and senior officers rests with the Bougainville Senior Appointments Committee.

This is to ensure that the process is fair and impartial, and free of political interference. Where allegations of misconduct are raised against a senior officer, the Committee is required to follow strict procedures.

If the Committee considers that the allegations should be investigated, it must appoint a board of inquiry to conduct the investigation and report back. If the board of inquiry is satisfied that misconduct has occurred, there are range of punishment options available to the Committee, including removal from office.

“I understand that the Senior Appointments Committee has provided Mr Kebori with a copy of my petition, and invited him to the respond to the allegations against him,” Nobetau said.

“This is the first step. Mr Kebori has not been suspended – there is no power to suspend at this stage – a senior officer can only be suspended by the Senior Appointments Committee once it decides to appoint a board of inquiry,” Nobetau added.

“People will be curious to know the details of the allegations set out in my petition, but it would not be fair to Mr Kebori for those details to be made public at this stage, the formal procedures should be allowed to take their course. It should be sufficient for me to say that I found the allegations very concerning, requiring me to take this action,” Nobetau said.

“As the Chief Secretary, I will not tolerate corruption and misconduct within the Bougainville Public Service. Bougainvilleans are entitled to expect the highest standards of integrity from their public servants,” he said.

Mr Nobetau has now made a call on any person with evidence of misconduct on the part of any public servant to come forward so that appropriate action can be taken in his efforts to rid the public service of corruption.

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Reporting Process for the ABG

Anthony Kaybing

130217



Since the inception of the Autonomous Bougainville Government there have been numerous development plans that have not come into fruition.

While many of these plans have been well laid out they lacked further development due to incapacitation issues in the Bougainville Administration to carry them out to a successful end.

Chief Secretary to the ABG Joseph Nobetau said that he has reviewed many of these plans and has come to the conclusion that though these plans were well-formed they lacked action after their development.

“This problem is not unique only to Bougainville and I do not want to detract from the important work many of our dedicated public servants have undertaken in the past,” Nobetau said.

“Rather, I see the need for the Bougainville Public Service to build on that former planning work in undertaking new corporate and strategic planning so that we can measure and asses our success,” he said.

Nobetau further stated that it was not enough to develop a plan in and of itself; the public service needed to move past the development and launch phase of the planning process to the implementation phase to prove its worth to the government and the people of Bougainville.

Mr Nobetau also revealed that in the coming months a new formal reporting process to the government will be implemented that allows the administration to measure and asses the success of the public service in meeting key corporate and strategic planning goals.

As it stands the reporting process will be divided into four key quadrants; Budget and Financial Management, Civil Society, Peace and Law and Order, Social Services (Health, education etc) and Economic Development, Growth and Infrastructure.

The aim of the reporting process will be to document activities and actions that seek to address and meet the priorities of the government, it will also act as a monitoring and evaluation mechanism that allows for improvement.

“I firmly believe that 2017 will be a year of transformation for the public service and I ask all Bougainville Public Servants to join with me as we embark on this exciting journey to make Bougainville the Black Pearl of the Pacific as she truly is,” Nobetau encouraged.





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