By GEORGINA MICHAEL
North Fly MP James Donald raised concerns in Parliament today regarding the relocation of the Prime Minister’s office and the state of Port Moresby as the nation’s capital.
Mr. Donald asked Prime Minister James Marape to explain why the office had vacated the rent-free Sir Manasupe Haus and moved into a privately-owned building. He requested details on the reasons for the relocation, the annual cost of the lease, whether proper procurement and value-for-money processes were followed, who owns the building, and whether national security had been compromised by renting private premises.
He followed with a second question on the cleanliness and upgrading of the National Capital District, stressing that Port Moresby must reflect the face of the country.
In response, Prime Minister Marape said the relocation was based on advice from the Office Allocation Committee several years ago. He explained that the National and Supreme Courts had expressed interest in leasing the top five floors of a nine-storey building in front of Parliament, leaving the bottom four floors for public use as a shopping mall.
“Since 1975 we have always been leasing properties. The annual lease requirement for the state to pay private providers amounts to over K450 million. This year, the Marape-Rosso government budgeted K350 million for the lease of government properties across the country,” Marape said.
He added that the government had adopted a deliberate policy to end indefinite leasing through the Build-Operate-Lease-Transfer (BOLT) program. “Since we took office, we initiated the BOLT project. Our government has made a deliberate decision: we will not lease forever. We have a country to keep, and the country must own buildings,” he told Parliament.
Under the BOLT policy, the state leases properties, makes payments, and eventually takes ownership. The program now applies to all private leases, including Melanesian Haus, the building in question.
“We will lease, pay in, and pay out, and eventually, in time, the state will own those buildings. That is the policy, especially for buildings owned by private individuals or companies and not by state entities,” Marape explained.
He said the Office Allocation Committee had pushed to lease all nine floors under the BOLT program, not just the top five levels. He assured Parliament that security had not been compromised, noting that the department had taken full control of the lease and layout to safeguard the Prime Minister’s office and department heads.
Marape also commended NCD Governor Powes Parkop for ongoing work and called for collaborative efforts from residents to help protect and keep Port Moresby clean as the capital city of the country.
I smell a rat 🐀🐁