THE Madang provincial assembly on Tuesday passed its budget totalling K474,474,322 for 2026.
During the handing down of the budget, Governor Ramsey Pariwa gave a strong reminder that public money should be spent wisely for impact projects and poorly planned projects would not get a cut.
He also advised the assembly that any misuse of public funds may result in legal action.
The budget was passed in an assembly sitting attended by local level government presidents, administrators, provincial departmental heads and members of the public.
According to Pariwa, the main focus of the budget was on economic development, health and education as well as areas that the provincial government saw as essential for community development.
“For funding requests to be approved for any project, it must be documented properly with proper planning and implementation strategies outlined in such a way that the end result will be achieved satisfactorily,” he told the assembly.
Pariwa said misuse of funds for unbudgeted projects or failed past projects and/or other means that were deemed illegal would automatically be subjected to legal action taken against whoever was involved in such dealings.
“A project may seem good for funding, but if this project is not documented well and does not have an activity plan fully outlined, such project will not get an approval for funding,” he said.
Pariwa said any public servant and/or provincial leader engaged in any misuse of public funds would face the full force of the law.
“With the strict money use guidelines in place with regard to the 2026 Madang budget, leaders from all levels in the province now have to spend within the lines to ensure projects are delivered successfully and public funds are not misused,” he said.