The Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) is conducting an internal investigation into the recent recruitment activity following allegations from the public and even parliament, of corruption in the recruitment process.
The allegations came up following a video that went viral on social media of the newest recruits of the PNGDF arriving at the Goldie River Training Depot that showed some of the recruits looking too old and unfit to be considered as defence force material.
The Acting Chief of Defence, Brigadier General Lari Opa in a recent written statement, stated that the investigation and review will examine current processes, decision points, use of technology to produce fake documents and oversight mechanism, and it will recommend improvements and take necessary actions against staff as deemed necessary.
“Our commitment is clear; recruitment must be fair, merit- based, and aligned with the Defence Force’s core value,” said the Brigadier General.
Brigadier Opa, who spoke on behalf of the Chief of Defence Force Rear Admiral Philip Polewara, said that in the recent past, there have been similar allegations. Hence, for this recent recruitment, the PNGDF introduced online recruitment rather than using the PNGDF internal procedures to identify suitably qualified candidates for further processing.
“However, the allegations that have resurfaced seem to indicate that the process is still being challenged even though we trailed online recruitment.”
He then went on to say that there could be a mistake somewhere in the process that saw some of these individuals put on the list in the last minute.
“It is suspected that few of the recruits who failed the medical test may have been included in the last minute, and through the internal review, those recruits will be removed and service personnel who are implicated will be charged and dismissed."
The men and women of the PNGDF represent the values that underpin their service to the nation: loyalty, courage, discipline, respect and integrity.
“These values guide our actions and drive our determination to maintain a strong, professional defence force that Papua New Guinea can trust and relay upon,” stated Brigadier General Opa.
