Historical Government Documents dated back from 1998 will be misplaced as the Government Office Allocation Committee (GOAC) has directed Department of Implementation and Rural Development (DIRD) including other key departments to re-locate to newly constructed Twin Tower building in Port Moresby.
DIRD, one of the key government department that facilitate, coordinate and monitor Service Improvement Program (Provincial and District Service Improvement Program) and Constitutional Grants (Provincial & District Support Grants) will be greatly affected by the proposed re-location exercise.
This will also affect the 118 elected MPs of Parliament including sub-national administrations who frequent DIRD for technical support and advise on the successful implementation of the SIP program in the country.
Historical Government Documents dated back or since the establishment of the then Office of Rural Development (ORD) in 1998 (24 years) will be misplaced as there is not enough space to file and store at the newly built Twin Tower.
Most of these documents are PSG and DSG including PSIP and DSIP Acquittal Reports, in which some of these documents are subjected to investigation by Ombudsman Commission and Fraud Squad.
Secretary Aihi Vaki stressed that the department (DIRD) is happy to re-locate and welcome GOAC's decision to move out and feel comfortable with a new environment that is more luxurious, however concern now is the backlog of historical documents, province & district data and other vital communication infrastructures.
Mr. Vaki has written to the GOAC Secretariat seeking extension of date for the re-location exercise and further requested more than K800,000 for ICT equipment and infrastructures to be purchased and establish at the new Twin Tower building. The funds requested from the Government through GOAC has not been honored as the due date for the re-location plan is two weeks away.
GOAC has recently issued a circular instructions to DIRD, Department of National Planning, Department of Finance, National Procurement Commission and other line agencies to re-locate to Twin Tower building at Waigani by November, 2022.
"Our current office here at the Kumul Building is okay, however we have spent K1.5 million on this building for maintenance and other facilities using government funds to be well equipped. Government has to claim these money from the landlord, nothing was here since we moved in 1998, the building itself was skeleton with no office equipment and ICT infrastructures," Mr. Vaki said.
Vaki said there are lot of historical documents, assets to be disposed and ICT infrastructures to be purchased and establish before moving out and the timeframe was not enough.
