Texting scheme shining light on PNG corruption

Transcript

A texting scheme to expose corrupt officials in Papua New Guinea has had so much success it will be expanded to a national level by the end of the year.  

The 'Phones Against Corruption' initiative allows Department of Finance staff to send anonymous texts about any concerns they have.

The United Nations Development Programme assisted the department in launching the initiative.

The Acting Secretary of Finance Ken Ngangan told Koro Vaka'uta how it started.  

DR KEN NGANGAN:  This all started when we started receiving the bad publicity about the Transparency International Index where we had been ranked 144 out of 175.  There was a World Bank report which said we are just doing 15 percent of what we can do to combat corruption so in the eyes of the world community it doesn't look good.  When UNDP introduced this idea of 'Phones Against Corruption' we said 'let us start that'.  The Department of Finance have tried this initially within the Department of Finance.  The Department of Finance is about 1,200 staff.  In July last year we started this initiative.  So far we have now received 6,000 text messages or about 38 messages a day.  Out of the actions we have taken, it has resulted in two arrests of public officers involved in mismanagement involving about $2 million US dollars, five cases still waiting court decisions and 250 still under investigation.

KORO VAKA'UTA:  So doctor, tell us how exactly it works, is it just a reporting system via text?  How does it actually work?  How do people report their concerns?   

DKN:  We have a free texting number.  If and when they see things that are happening in whatever localities they are, they just text in this number.  Not all those might be corrupt or corrupt activities but we give them an opportunity to just text in anything they see or hear or whatever they come across.  This is a free texting system they just text in.  It is anonymous.  No one else knows.  The number is anonymous.  Anyone can call from any number and we will not have an idea of who has called in.

KV:  That's important that side of things?

DKN:  It's very important because we don't want to reveal any identity.  We don't even want to know who is reporting to us.
 
KV:  Is this going to be looked at to be expanded to other departments or on a national level, this initiative?

DKN:  That's the idea.  It will feed into the government Independent Commission Against Corruption which will be passed in the next sitting of parliament so they're going to create this Independent Commission Against Corruption.  What we are doing will actually feed into that.  When that one comes into being then what we will do is we will probably expand this to include everyone in the general public instead of the Department of Finance only as it is now.  We will now give that responsibility of managing the 'Phones Against Corruption' to that central authority.

Dr Ken Ngangan says about 5 percent of the texts received have aided corruption investigations.