Morobe Governor raises follow-up questions; Minister orders investigations
Morobe Governor Rainbo Paita has raised a follow-up series of questions in Parliament regarding the PNG Defence Force recruitment process, continuing concerns he first presented last week.
Governor Paita said he had written to the Defence Minister and verified the information over the weekend, claiming the facts remained unchanged. He questioned how the independent HR firm was selected, asking whether a proper tender process was followed and what criteria was used.
He said the company engaged, Labour Solutions Limited, may have been deregistered, and asked the Minister to confirm whether a deregistered firm was used to conduct the recruitment.
The Morobe Governor further raised concerns about alleged irregularities, including individuals recruited outside the official shortlist and cases of recruits using different identities. He also questioned the regional imbalance in the final intake and asked whether the 300 recruits would be deployed during the next General Election.
Governor Paita called for the questionable recruits to be suspended, recruitment and training to be halted, and a full independent investigation into the process. He also asked the Defence Minister to apologise for allegedly providing misleading information last week.
In response, Defence Minister Dr Billy Joseph said the information he previously provided was given in good faith and supplied by his department, adding that he did not see any reason to apologise.
East Sepik Governor called a point of order, which Parliament Speaker, Job Pomat later ruled was out of order:
Dr Joseph told Parliament that Defence recruitment had been on hold for the past five years due to similar complaints, but the government must now increase troop numbers to meet a target of 7,000 personnel by 2030. He said the force currently has about 2,950 members.
The Minister confirmed that an independent HR firm was selected through the Defence Council, and any concerns about the recruitment process would be investigated.
“If someone has made shortcuts, those people will be removed. I have instructed that an investigation be done and the results will be tabled in Parliament,” he said.
Dr Joseph also said regional balance would be reviewed and any irregularities addressed. He further announced that future recruitment will focus on Grade 12 students, with intake to be done directly from secondary schools and schools of excellence across the country.