PM: EC sets polling dates, not politicians or parties
News that matter in Papua New Guinea
Pangu Pati and Henganofi candidate Mofa Nina Giheno with Prime Minister James Marape at a campaign rally inHenganofi Station, Eastern Highlands, on Friday – Nationalpic by REBECCA KUKU
PM: EC sets polling
dates, not politicians or parties
PORT MORESBY: General Election 2022 (GE22) polling dates
are set by the Electoral Commission (EC) in consultation with the police, Papua
New Guinea (PNG) Defence Force and the Correctional Services, and not by
political parties, Prime Minister James Marape says.
“The polling dates had
nothing to do with political parties or Pangu Pati,” he added.
“This is something only
the Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai can decide on. At the end of the day, it
is not about me or (former prime minister Peter) O’Neill, or Pangu Pati and PNC
(People’s National Congress).
“The decision was with
security reasons to ensure that there is a safe environment for the people to
cast their ballots, for extraction after polling, for counting, etc.
“But the call is with
the commissioner, if he has decided on it, then I welcome the decision,” he
added.
PNG Cyber Monitor reproduces below a few GE22 news updates as published by The National:
PM: EC sets polling
dates
June 20, 2022The NationalMain Stories
“The polling dates had nothing to do with political parties or Pangu Pati,” he
said.
“This is something that only the Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai can decide
on. At the end of the day it is not about me or (former prime minister Peter)
O’Neill, or Pangu Pati and PNC (People’s National Congress).
“The decision was with security reasons to ensure that there is a safe environment
for the people to cast their ballots, for extraction after polling, for
counting, etc.
“But the call is with the commissioner, if he has decided on it, then I welcome
the decision.”
Marape was responding to Ialibu-Pangia MP O’Neill who raised concerns about the
polling dates the EC had set for the Highlands.
O’Neil said that the new polling dates were geared towards helping Pangu Parti
receiving an unfair advantage and made no sense in the conduct of a fair and
free election.
“To have polling first in Hela and Enga while the rest of Highlands wait for
four days will certainly encourage foul play and double voting as people move
freely between provinces to vote multiple times,” he said.
“This has been a common practice from the past elections and EC has not learnt
from past mistakes,” O’Neil said.
“When the security forces are fresh and ready, elections in Hela, Southern
Highlands and Enga should be conducted on the same day.
“These are the most difficult provinces and EC should conduct polling on the
same day to avoid double voting and possibility of violence.”
Pangu Pati confident of forming next
government
Pangu Pati and
Henganofi Open seat candidate Mofa Nina Giheno with Prime Minister James Marape
at a campaign rally at Henganofi Station, Eastern Highlands, on Friday –
Nationalpic by REBECCA KUKU
By REBECCA KUKU
THE Pangu Pati and its
coalition partners will form the next government, says party leader and Prime
Minister James Marape.
“Don’t waste five minutes of your time voting for someone else because the
Pangu Pati will be forming the (next) government. That I can say with 100 per
cent certainty,” he said.
Marape was in Goroka campaigning for party candidates which includes Mofa Nina
Giheno for the Henganofi Open seat. She is the daughter of three-time Henganofi
MP John Giheno (1982 to 1997) who was caretaker prime minister following the
resignation of Sir Julius Chan in 1997.
“(The) Pangu Pati, and our coalition partners, will be forming Government, and
I want Mofa Nina Giheno to be in the engine room,” Marape said.
“Vote for your mother, sister and daughter.
“Remember they will always carry a bilum of food on their heads when they come
back to you.
“There were so many applicants for Henganofi but we decided to give Mofa Nina
Giheno the chance.
“She is a Kafe woman who deserves your votes.”
Giheno is the managing director of Mofa Coffee. Marape said a vote for Giheno
would ensure that Henganofi would be represented in the Pangu-led Government to
be formed after the elections.
Marape promises reform of education system
THE Government will
reform the education system to ensure all children complete Grade 12, Prime
Minister James Marape says.
“We will reform the system to minimise the number of Grade 8 and 10 school
dropouts,” Marape said.
“All Papua New Guinean children will complete their Grade 12, so that everyone
has a fair chance of making their own mark in the country or the world.
“We will also build more schools to cater for the growing student population.
“We will improve the working conditions for teachers, because we want to ensure
that we leave no one behind.”
Marape spoke on his visit to Kabiufa Adventist Secondary School in Goroka last
weekend.
Marape, who is also the party leader for the ruling Pangu Pati, said that the
party was standing not just for free education but for quality education.
“We will reintroduce agriculture and religion in the public school system so
that our children can have life skills and be grounded in the word of God when
they complete their education,” he said.
Marape, who is also a former student of the school, told the students that 33
years ago, he sat in the same classroom, ate in the same mess and worked in the
fields growing crops.
People urged not to sell ‘constitutional
right’
PRIME Minister James Marape is urging the
people not to sell their votes “for a plate of rice or a K5” but to vote for
change, development and economic freedom.
“Do not sell your constitutional right,” he said.
“Listen to the party policies and vote for what you want to see happening in
the next five years, because your five minutes at the polls decides who leads
the new Government.”
Marape told a campaign rally for Esa’ala Open party candidate Jimmy Maladina
and Milne Bay regional candidate Jennifer Rudd that Pangu was a pro-rural
party.
Marape, the Pangu Pati leader, told the people that Pangu believed in
government services, infrastructure, and opportunities for all Papua New
Guineans.
“Pangu is about the rural people that is why our aim is to connect PNG, to
ensure that services are equally distributed so that no matter where you are,
in the city, or towns, or villages, you can have access to health, education,
clean water and electricity,” he said. “What I can tell you is that you vote
Pangu in and we will work towards this in the next five to 10 years.”
Marape said he might not be prime minister again but he wanted to set a path
for other leaders to continue the work of ensuring that PNG was connected, that
its people were economically independent.
12mil ballot papers
for distribution
June 20, 2022The
NationalMain Stories
ELECTORAL Commissioner
Simon Sinai says 12 million ballot papers will be distributed in the provinces
before polling begins on July 4.
“The distribution of ballot papers will be supervised by the police and the
defence force, working with the Australian Defence Force (ADF),” he said.
“So we will have teams from each (force) accompanying the papers for safety
purposes.”
There are six million ballot papers for the open seats and six million for the
provincial seats.
It is expected that 5.7 million voters will cast their votes, based on the
latest common roll update.
One flight left on Saturday to start the ballot paper distribution by the ADF
and PNG security forces.
Sinai witnessed the first batch departing for Western on Saturday from the
Jackson Airport, saying it marked the start of the General Election 2022.
He acknowledged the ongoing support of the Australian and Papua New Guinean governments
in the running of the election operations.
He specifically thanked the ADF and Canberra for supplying the ballot papers.
“Thank you for also supporting the logistics and transportation of the
materials to the provinces including ballot papers,” he said.
He said that with nominations completed, everyone should be ready.
Election managers have been briefed and are waiting for the ballot papers,
election materials and polling schedules.
“We wish all the candidates all the luck during polling. We are trying all our
best to deliver a safe and fair election,” he said.
EC working with courts to identify convicts
ELECTORAL Commission
lawyers are currently working with court officials to identify General Election
2022 candidates who have been convicted of a crime and should withdraw their
names, says Commissioner Simon Sinai.
“Some might think that this is a straight forward process where we remove the
convicts,” he told a radio talkback show on Thursday.
“But we must get the information straight from the court house.
“People have been nominated already so this also concerns their rights to
contest.
“We must have a good reason to remove them. But we must get the evidence
first.”
The Supreme Court had ruled on May 31 that persons convicted of any offence and
sentenced to more than nine months in jail since June 25, 2002 are disqualified
for life from contesting general elections.
The Attorney-General through the office of the Solicitor-General, referred
various questions and an application seeking the court’s opinion on the meaning
and effect of s.103 (3) (e), which was inserted in the Constitution in 2002 in
a constitutional amendment.
Sinai explained that the Supreme Court’s decision was given after nominations
had closed.
“We had identified the relevant agencies such as the court house, public
prosecutor, police crimes unit, attorney-general, and the parole board.
“Our lawyers are working with the courts,” Sinai said.
Sinai said the first step he took was to issue a seven-day notice to candidates
convicted of a crime to voluntarily withdraw their nomination.
The seven-day notice ended on Friday.
So far, no candidate has withdrawn their nomination.
Polling is expected to start on July 4.
Prioritise allowances for election workers: RO
By GLORIA BAUAI
HUON-GULF Returning
Officer (RO) Daniel Wasinak says allowance for temporary election workers
(TEWs) is priority to ensure a smooth electoral process in General Election
2022 (GE22).
“We must pay the TEWs who participated in running the common roll update and
candidate nominations for GE22.
“I am concerned that the non-payment of allowance will affect them during
polling and may disrupt the GE22 process.
“ROs need a peace of mind when recruiting for the remaining of GE22 programmes
and operations,” he added.
Wasinak did not sign the petition presented to the Morobe election steering
committee last Tuesday by 34 ROs and their assistants (AROs), but he strongly
encouraged the call for immediate release of operational funds.
Wasinak said the province had been relatively quiet compared to GE17.
“The only violence recorded was a clash in Munum last month between supporters
of rival candidates.
“That matter is now before the police,” he said.
“Candidates must educate their supporters to stop the rivalry.
“Our election process follows the Limited Preferential Voting (LPV) system, so
it should be about sharing votes rather than fighting.
“Let us campaign the right way and let people exercise their right to vote
their political leader without intimidation and fear,” he added.
Wasinak also said they were yet to receive their election materials for polling
but said it should be in the district by next week.
Kundu pay system to be used for allowances,
says Sinai
ALL General Election
2022 (GE22) workers will be paid through the Kundu pay system, says Electoral
Commissioner Simon Sinai.
The payment system programme was created by the New Zealand government as part
of its support for the GE22.
“The system would pay all the allowances by way of pressing a button through
the bank,” he said.
It is expected that 50,000 employees will be involved in the polling period and
the same number during the counting.
The system would be a better way to pay the employees considering the results
of GE17 where there was a lot of risks handling cash.
“The GE22 will have a greater way to manage cash in the 96 electorates through
the Kundu pay system – thanks to the support of the New Zealand government,” he
said.
Sinai said the New Zealand government also supported the GE22 with logistic and
security consultancy.
Special delivery …
Women from the Royal Australian Airforce unloading ballistic vests and
ballistic helmets at Jackson Airport in Port Moresby on Friday. Three-thousand
ballistic vests and 3,000 ballistic helmets arrived in Port Moresby ahead of
the General Election 2022. According to a statement from the Australian High
Commission, the vests and helmets were a gift from Australia to the Royal Papua
New Guinea Constabulary in response to Papua New Guinea’s request for
additional protective equipment for the police. Australian High Commissioner
Jon Philp and Australian Federal Police Commander Jamie Strauss handed over the
equipment to Police Commissioner David Manning at a ceremony on Friday. –
Nationalpic by NICKY BERNARD
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