The Prime Minister's decision to reinstate the financial powers of Minister for Planning, Paul Teinsten, seems to have more to do with political opportunism than good governance and sends all the wrong signals on corruption.

Minister Teinsten's financial powers were removed in response to serious allegations of fraud and mismanagement in his Department.

But the Prime Minister now claims that in just 7 days all the allegations have been investigated and found to be baseless and that Mr Teinsten and his Department have been given a clean bill of health.

The seven days it took to clear the Minister and his Department stands in stark contrast to the three years it took to investigate the fraud and mismanagement in the Department of Finance that uncovered K780 million had been stolen.

After a five month delay the Prime Minister did table that report in Parliament - it seems highly unlikely he will be doing the same with the Department of Planning report (if such a document exists).

The Prime Minister had perhaps been hoping to show that he was prepared to get tough on corruption by making the decision to sideline Tiensten. But that strategy rather backfired when it was announced that Planning's financial powers were to be taken over by the Finance Department which was the subject of the Commission of Inquiry and is under the control of Minister Pruaitch and Secretary Yer. 

An ACT NOW! poll has shown 99% of us believe the Prime Minister is not doing enough on corruption. The events of the past week only reinforce the perception that the Prime Minister is prepared to tolerate rampant and systematic corruption as the price he has to pay to hang on to power. 

Sadly it is the people of PNG who are suffering as they watch Somare flush his once noble name down the drain.