PRIME Minister Hon. James Marape on Thursday officially launched the Department of Finance Electronic Payment System for the Papua New Guinea Correctional Service (PNGCS) at the Correctional Institutional Services (CIS) Headquarters in Port Moresby.
The launch marks the formal transition of PNGCS to the Government’s Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) platform, enabling all departmental payments to be processed electronically. The system forms part of the Government E-Payment Standards and digital transformation agenda led by the Department of Finance.
In his address, Prime Minister Marape emphasized the critical role of the Correctional Service in national security and rehabilitation.
“As we work in the reset of our country to move into the right directions, I am seeing good signs from the Correctional Institutional Services (CIS) Headquarters.
“The Correctional Institutional Services (CIS) is an essential, important, constitutional institution that is there to secure those that have been found on the wrong side of law, to properly rehabilitate them and funnel them back into society as good citizens with skills, with right ethics, behaviour, and they are inculcated as better citizens by our embrace and we put them to society.
“That is something that we must do,” he said.
The Prime Minister drew on the biblical parable of the workers in the vineyard from Matthew 20:1–16 to remind staff that while individuals come and go, the work of nation-building continues.
“You and me will come and go. Work will still roll on. The master of calling work, our country will still call new people to come in. But in the time that we had work, we must do the work that we are supposed to do.”
Prime Minister Marape commended PNGCS leadership for embracing ICT to drive efficiency and good governance.
“It is my honour and privilege, and I just want to appreciate the work that is put behind this. I commend leadership & team here at the headquarters for us to be responsive to the need to use ICT to assist.
“As I said earlier, our goal is to maximize efficiency and ensure good governance in all the work we do. Well done & congratulations.”
Prime Minister Marape also noted that he first advocated for the whole-of-government shift to electronic payments during his time as Finance Minister, expressing great satisfaction in seeing this vision translate into a more efficient, transparent, and digitally empowered public sector.
“I started this work many years ago as finance minister to make sure all of government moved to electronic usage. And it’s nice to see one department, and I am personally responsible over CIS, moving into this space. Well done.”
Prime Minister Marape officially launched the submission process, confirming PNGCS is now on board to the electronic payment system.