More than 200,000 National Identity (NID) cards and birth certificates have been issued within 100 days of the appointment of the new Acting Registrar General.
This was revealed by the Minister for Administrative Services Hon. Richard Masere after Aitape-Lumi MP Hon. Anderson Mise raised concerns over delays in the NID process.
Mise said many young people in his electorate were left out of the recent police recruitment because they did not have NIDs.
He said as MP he had tried to guarantee for some applicants however, he still couldn’t because of NID as a requirement. He also questioned whether funding allocated for NID operations in provinces and districts had reached remote areas because his district hasn’t.
“Does the Government have any funding available in the Provinces and Districts for NID Operations? Over the years I have heard funds have been allocated but they have not reached the remotest districts such as ours,” Mr. Mise asked
“Is there any funds allocated this year? If so, please make the funds available for us to access as soon as possible.”
He also highlighted confusion at the district level where officers were asking MPs to buy computers and equipment for NID work if this was the responsibility of the open members or the national government.
In response, Minister for Administrative Services Hon. Richard Massere said he did not have immediate details on Aitape operations but would get a report from the agency and respond the next day.
“In terms of funding allocation, generally the government makes funding available. I will also provide a brief report on that when I respond to your question tomorrow,” Mr. Massere said.
In a supplementary question, North Fly MP Hon. James Donald asked if NID offices across the country were fully functional and if consumables were available, noting that there were reports of malfunctioning offices and delays in issuance.
In response Mr. Massere said the government had replaced the previous Acting Registrar General due to numerous complaints.
“Since we have replaced the previous Acting Registrar General, within 100 days the new Acting Registrar General has issued well over 200,000 birth certificates and NID cards,” Mr. Masere said.