Come out in large numbers to cast your ballots: O’Neill
News that matter in Papua New Guinea
Come out in large
numbers to cast your ballots: O’Neill
PORT MORESBY: Former prime minister Peter O’Neill has
asked Papua New Guineans to come out in large numbers to cast their ballots for
General Election 2022 (GE22).
“Do not be discouraged
by the GE22 polling chaos,” he added.
“I am voting in my home
in Ialibu-Pangia and I expect all to cast their ballots to exercise your
constitutional rights nationwide,” he added.
PNG Cyber Monitor reproduces below the news break and a few GE22 news updates as reported by The National:
Cast your votes:
O’Neill
July 11, 2022The
NationalMain Stories
“Do not be discouraged by the GE22 chaos,” he said.
“I am voting in my home in Ialibu-Pangia and I expect all to cast their ballots
to exercise your constitutional rights nationwide.”
He said stories and talks of widespread election fraud, compromises, incompetence
and major issues that point to this being the worst election in history should
not deter anyone from voting.
“Do not give up on democracy,” he said.
“Vote and do so peacefully.”
O’Neill said there were many people talking about this being a complete failed
election and “I can understand your frustrations.”
“Failing is not an option as the future of our nation depends on a change
taking place.
“This will not be a failed election and change is coming.
“I know it looks bad right now, and you are right to be disappointed, but we
have a long history of pulling through together because the one thing that
binds us as a nation is our strong desire for democracy.
“So please have your say and vote in GE22.”
Meanwhile, Southern Highlands Commander Chief Inspector Daniel Yangen said he
was preparing the province for today’s polling with awareness campaigns, random
roadblocks and checks and even a clean-up in Mendi.
He said the security forces were ready and prepared.
“The Quick Response Force on the ground comprises Police Mobile Squad and PNG
Defence Force soldiers as well as local policemen and women,” he said.
“We are also waiting for the roll-over teams to arrive from Enga to boost our
manpower strength to monitor all the polling centres.”
GE22 polling expected to end this week
POLLING for General
Elections (GE22) has started in 17 of 22 provinces and is expected to finish in
most parts of the country this week.
Certain electorates in the Highlands, New Guinea Islands, Mamose and Southern
all faced delays due to either transportation of materials, security personnel,
logistics or stakeholder issues.
Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai in response to this, emphasised that the
commission could only carry out the election if all stakeholders respected and
followed the rules, the officials and each other.
“The elections are delivered by people in your communities; they are your
teachers, social workers, mothers and fathers,” he said.
“These are people you know, who are committed to delivering this election in
your community so please respect them and the process.”
With the exception of Hela, polling will continue in all provinces that held
polling last week, with one-day polling to be carried out throughout the rest
of the highlands but expected to end in Enga today.
The final five provinces and electorates are to go to the polls beginning this
week with Southern Highlands and National Capital’s Moresby North-East
electorate (July 11), Eastern Highlands (July 12), Jiwaka, Western Highlands
(July 13) and Chimbu (July 15).
Sinai encouraged voters yet to cast their vote to look for their names on the
roll lookup which can be found on the android play store or on the Electoral
Commission’s website www.pngec.gov.pg.
Only 350 ballot papers for 800-plus villagers
By AILEEN KWARAGU
MANUMANU village in
Central did not have enough ballot papers for its 800-plus eligible voters
because only 350 ballot papers were supplied by the Electoral Commission.
Presiding officer of team 18 and 19 polling in Hiri-Koiari Patrick Igo Boio
said Kido village had more ballot papers.
“From my own perspective, there was an error with the typing on Manumanu’s
ballot papers because Kido had more compared to the total on their common
roll,” he said.
Boio said he realised the shortage on the team’s arrival in Manumanu last week.
He said he was advised by the electorate’s assistant returning officer (ARO)
Faroro Vaibi to use his discretion to resolve the issue.
“Due to time and distance, I called my ARO and got permission to use the
left-over ballot papers from Kido village which was accepted,” he said.
He said a letter was drafted from the village and all scrutineers involved
signed as proof to use Kido’s ballot papers.
He added that more than 700 voted in Manumanu which was the highest without
complaints and issues.
Boio and his team spent two days in Kido and ended the polling at Manumanu on
Thursday.
Meanwhile, counting in Central was scheduled to start today.
Moresby North-West residents used other names
to vote
By LULU MAGINDE
POLLING for the
National Capital (NCD) took place on Friday, with some people not being
registered to vote, while some did double or multiple voting.
The National spoke to an individual at Ipi Park in Moresby North-West, who had
cast his vote three times and was about to attempt a fourth, when polling
officials recognised his face from the first time he was there and angrily sent
him away.
Although he chose not to reveal his name, the man from Enga and long-time
resident of Hohola Three, had strategically chosen his first three times to
vote at three of six polling booths stationed on the field and had removed the
“indelible” ink using a solvent mixture.
There were instances of people not being allowed to vote, even though they
participated in the common roll update; people being allowed to vote even
though their names were not on the roll and people using other names to vote.
Lovely Doka from Enga, a resident of Hohola Three, told The National that she
knew that someone else had used her name to vote and although she was not okay
with it, she was not as bothered because she was going to do the same.
First-time voter Michelle Kakale said polling for that particular station felt
disorganised and rushed, as she witnessed certain individuals joining lines in
different booths to vote twice.
Whitehouse settlement resident Nancy Karap found that there was a mix up in the
lists, as some of those who had been living in Whitehouse all their life,
herself included, had their names registered and transferred to Morata.
“I’m not going to Morata to vote because I don’t know anyone there and if I do
I will be targeted for questioning and accused of something,” she said.
Experienced voter Emma Waikus, after casting her vote, said she knew those
living in the settlements had given their names during the common roll update
but weren’t able to vote because their names weren’t on the updated list.
“The Electoral Commission really should have updated their list before
proceeding with polling.”
Candidate fails to
stop election
July 11, 2022The
NationalMain Stories
Judge Joseph Yagi said on Friday that the court under order 10, rule nine, and
sub-rule 15 of the National Court Rule, had the power to dismiss court
proceedings when applicants failed to comply with court orders.
“The applicant (Lyipita) failed to provide affidavit of proof of service to the
State and for not appearing in court this (Friday) morning as the court
directed,” Justice Yagi said.
He said the matter came before the court on Thursday for hearing but there was
no proper service to the respondents and the court directed Lyipita to serve
and provide evidence to show that service was effected.
“This was not done and he had also failed to appear and for that, the
proceeding is summarily dismissed and the parties to bear their own costs,”
Justice Yagi said.
This follows Papua New Guinea Electoral Commission (EC) and Electoral
Commissioner Simon Sinai’s lawyer Moses Ninkama’s application to dismiss the
proceeding due to Lyipita’s non-appearance.
Ninkama said: “Seems that Lyipita is not serious in prosecuting the matter since
he did appear on time set.
“For that, we make an application to dismiss the proceeding for want of
prosecution at court’s discretion.”
Lyipita entered the court late, just before Justice Yagi finished his order and
sat at the bar table but didn’t get a chance to make his appearance as the
court was adjourned right after.
Lyipita, in the proceeding, claimed that EC allegedly had an agreement with the
National Capital District Commission which might cause a conflict of interest
and that should be cleared.
He wanted the court to order Sinai to provide the updated common roll for each
ward and gazetted polling sites for the purpose of a free, fair and safe GE22.
Lyipita said he wanted those documents because electoral officials, allegedly,
through the agreement, had altered the number of voters in certain wards in
Moresby South.
He filed the application saying that rights of the citizens to vote and stand
for public office was at risk due to those allegations.
Lyipita outside of court said he was late because he was running around to
serve the documents as court order.
He added that he would appeal the decision as it was made ex-parte.
Candidates call for RO to take up post
By CLARISSA MOI
MORESBY North-East
candidates in the General Election 2022 (GE22) are concerned about the deferral
of the polling for the electorate pointing out the likelihood of problems
arising as other electorates already completed polling on Friday.
Some of the 76 candidates of Moresby North-East gathered at the Sir John Guise
Indoor Stadium on Friday to be addressed by the National Capital District
election manager Kila Ralai following the resignation of Moresby North-East
returning officer Billy George on Friday morning.
Female candidate Tania Bale told Ralai that there was no excuse for a delay.
“This is not incompetence, this is by design, it’s deliberate,” she said.
“We want clear communication with the returning officer and give us clear dates
for polling.”
NCD regional candidate Andy Bawa said the delaying of polling for the
electorate was not the best thing for the people.
“Get things fixed,” he said.
“We don’t want another delay again on Monday (today).
“Delays are doing injustice and depriving the rights of our people.”
Bawa also noted that Moresby North-West and Moresby South electorates had
completed polling on Friday and with Moresby North-East polling today, there
could be an influx of people going to Moresby North-East polling sites to vote
again.
“We are going to have compounding problems,” the former senior police officer
said.
“Why are you delaying the Moresby North-East polling? Someone needs to find
out.
“And if someone is causing this, expose and dispose of that person.”
Moresby North-East voters go to poll
TWO of the three
electorates in the National Capital District (NCD) went to the polls on Friday
while polling for Moresby North-East electorate was differed to today.
Department of Personnel Management secretary Taies Sansan learnt about the
deferral of the polling after casting her vote at Gerehu in the Moresby
North-West electorate on Friday.
She said if polling for North-East was differed, then the public servants
living the area should go and vote. She stressed that all these deferral of
election dates would have major economic implications on the country.
“So we are expecting the scheduled polling to at least start as planned,” she
said.
“Now for those public servants living in the North-East area, we need to give
them time to go and vote.”
Sansan highlighted that it was good to have separate polling booths for males
and females.
“It’s really good.
“We are thankful to PNG Electoral Commission and the government for coming up
with this policy programme where there are two different lines for males and
females,” Sansan said.
Sansan was glad she voted.
The polling for NCD was scheduled for last Monday initially but was deferred to
Wednesday and then to Friday where Moresby North-West and Moresby South went
ahead while the returning officer for Moresby North-East announced the deferral
and also his resignation.
NCD election manager Kila Ralai announced that the election of Moresby
North-East would be today.
Ralai accepts blame for deferred polling
NATIONAL Capital
District election manager Kila Ralai has accepted responsibility for the
deferred polling in Moresby North-East and pledged to work with all
stakeholders to have polling today.
Ralai, who bore the brunt of candidates and their supporters’ frustrations
after the deferral of polling for North-East, assured them that he would work
to get returning officer Billy George back to run the polling after he had
announced his resignation at midday on Friday.
He accepted blame for not ensuring North-East polling had started on schedule.
Polling in NCD was scheduled for Friday and while the other two electorates,
Moresby North West and Moresby South, had got underway election officials for
Moresby North-East were still sorting out ballot boxes and papers.
Ralai said George had resigned because of mounting pressure.
“Now the candidates want us to come back, we will deliver the election,” Ralai
said.
Candidates had also called for Ralai’s resignation for his handling of George
and polling in the North-East but later called for George to return and for
Ralai to work with him to ensure polling was completed.
Ralai said Moresby North-East was incomplete with the process of its four
wards, 5, 6, 9 and 12 for the 201 polling stations.
Ralai said they were still doing the distribution of the ballot papers and time
caught up with them and they were unable to poll on Friday.
Ralai said those voters from the other electorates – North-West and South –
would not be allowed to vote in North-East today.
Gulf to extend polling period, says election
manager
By JAMIE HARO in Kerema
POLLING in Gulf has
been extended to another week as polling stations in local level governments
(LLGs) are yet to complete the activity, an official says.
Gulf election manager Poevare Tore confirmed this after several deferrals were
made to transfer all ballot boxes to Gulf’s 10 LLGs.
“We started polling last Tuesday and were expected to complete it by Friday,
however due to logistics issues, we were forced to delay polling again for the
remaining LLGs,” he said.
Tore said while four out of six LLGs in the Kerema open wre nearly into
completion of the polling period, the other four LLGs in the Kikori open would
start polling this week.
“We just distributed ballot boxes to the two remaining LLGs of Kerema open
(Kaintiba and Kotidanga LLGs), while Ihu, Baimuru, East and West Kikori LLGs
have already received theirs, and are expected to complete polling on Friday
this week to ensure all boxes arrive on time for counting,” he explained.
The provincial returning officer said more people had been unable to vote as
their names had not been on the common.
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