Dr Lino Tom wins again

News that matter in Papua New Guinea

Incumbent Wabag MP Dr Lino Tom has been walking and hiking hills fo days to reach out to remote villagers in Enga. The medical doctor, who won as an Independent in 2017, is seen here attending to a woman with head injury (bandaged).

Dr Lino Tom wins again

PORT MORESBY: The doctor who walks, hikes to reach out to remote villagers in Enga was returned to Papua New Guinea (PNG)’s 11th Parliament yesterday (July 25, 2022).

 Wabag MP Dr Lino Tom, who stood as an Independent in 2017 and won, was victorious again in General Election 2022 (GE22) when he polled 35,783 votes, more than the absolute major, to win for his People’s Party.

Tom is also the incumbent Fisheries and Marine Resources Minister.

Read this for context: https://pngcybermonitor.blogspot.com/2022/05/mp-doctor-who-walks-hikes-to-reach-out.html (MP who walks, hikes to reach out to remote villagers in Enga)

PNG Cyber Monitor reproduces the news break and a few GE22 news update as published by The National:

Tom retains Wabag seat

July 26, 2022The NationalMain Stories

By DALE LUMA
INCUMBENT Fisheries and Marine Resources Minister Dr Lino Tom has polled 35,783 votes to pass the absolute majority mark to retain the Wabag Open seat in the General Election 2022 (GE22), making him the first in the electorate’s history to win in such fashion.
Speaking during his declaration yesterday, the second term MP thanked election officials and security personnel for their efforts.
Tom said Wabag had a record of safe elections and he was thankful that GE22 was no different.
“We (Wabag) have never faced the type of problems we have seen in this general election,” he said.
“Unfortunately, we had many problems and I want to tell the supporters of other candidates that I never plan evil, I have never planned evil in my entire life.
“What has transpired in this election which is not correct in your eyes, I want to apologise.
“We all have the right to stand for the elections as long as we are citizens of this country.
“So to my brothers who we have contested this election together, it is not a personal thing, we all want to serve the people of Wabag, we want to serve Enga and the country.
“Today (yesterday) through the ballot papers, the people of Wabag have clearly given me the mandate.”
Runner-up Kennedy Thomas Lemban finished with 10,807 and Milfred Wangatau was third with 5,574 votes.
Tom was first elected to the 10th National Parliament for the Wabag Open in 2017 as an independent candidate.
He then joined his current party, the Peoples Party, where he was appointed as Minister for Fisheries and Marine Resources in 2019.

Son vows to carry on

July 26, 2022The NationalMain Stories

By JACINTA COHLEE
SAM Basil Junior vowed to continue the legacy of his late father after winning the Bulolo open seat by an absolute majority and was declared yesterday at Bulolo Technical School.
Basil Jr (ULP) of Buang local level government (LLG) was declared as the new and first member for the new electorate by returning officer Raune Jombert.
He won after count 24 with 16,072 votes surpassing the absolute majority mark of 15,831 with runner-up Russell Yakam (NA) finishing with 4,877 votes and Tae Guambelek (PNG party) in third with 3,057 votes.
The first ULP candidate elected dedicated his win to his late father, Sam Basil, and vowed to continue his legacy in Morobe and Papua New Guinea.
“I did a peaceful campaign, promoting peace and harmony because that’s what my father would have done,” he said.
“Thank you Bulolo for trusting me.
“Thank you the other contesting candidates for the wonderful race, supporters, family and friends for trusting my father and now, me.
“I am not here to do new things, but here to continue the work my father and your MP left,” Basil Jr said of his father who was Deputy Prime Minister at the time of his tragic death in a road accident in the district on May 11.
“It was unexpected as I want to become a commercial pilot but dad fell so, here I am.”
He said that he was looking forward to connecting with all Morobe districts, especially sister electorate, Wau-Waria, and moving forward.
The new MP said that Wau-Waria and Bulolo were tied together by a shared history and needed to maintain that relationship. At political level, the districts split so that the services can be provided to people easily, but culturally, we will remain brothers,” he said.
The young candidate is looking forward to working with the new MP for the Wau-Waria electorate.
Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker of the Parliament and ULP deputy party leader Koni Iguan sent his congratulatory message to the people of Bulolo for their confidence in Basil Jr.
Iguan challenged Basil Jr to be like his late father where he was a three-term MP and had ushered in development and change for Bulolo and Morobe as well as PNG.
After the declaration at midnight in Bulolo, Basil Jr signed the writ at Morobe election manager Simon Soheke’s office in Lae at 4 am with election officials, Iguan (ULP) and other ULP candidates.


Counting continues for Eastern Highlands

COUNTING in Eastern Highlands begun last Wednesday, led by Goroka, Obura-Wonenara and Daulo districts, an official says.
Eastern Highlands election manager Steven Gore Kaupa said quality checks were expected yesterday.
Kaupa said the ballot boxes were counted according to local level governments (LLGs) for most of the districts on Wednesday except Kainantu, Henganofi and Okapa which started on Thursday along with ballots for the regional seat.
He said counting was progressing well at NSI and they would do our quality checks and proceed to eliminations.
“We have a few complaints with Unavi LLG in Lufa, Watabung LLG and Yagari LLG regarding the tampering of ballot papers,”Kaupa said.
Kaupa said with three days left for counting, no suspension of counting would be made by returning officers from complaints by scrutineers that were not accompanied by a court order.
“For all boxes with serial numbers in place, counting will proceed as we want to make declarations come Wednesday (tomorrow).
“But what we found is that the ballot papers had been marked and I wonder how the papers had been handled by voters,” Kaupa said.
He said the advice to returning officers was to let counting proceed as scheduled with no suspension of counts unless a scrutineer or candidate presented a court order to cease counting.
“We do respect petitions but we will be inviting a lot of petitions.”
“Only a court order is the legal instrument for them to address any issue in the polling booth,” Kaupa said.


Suspects in Nebilyer killing yet to be handed over to police

SUSPECTS involved in the shooting to death of three people last week in Upper Nebilyer, Western Highlands, are yet to be charged and arrested, a senior police officer says.
Tambul Police Station commander Chief Sergeant Jacob Kumin said Komka community leaders had assured him that they would hand over the suspects and guns yesterday but did not.
“The police were assured on Saturday that suspects and the exhibits would be handed over today (yesterday), however this did not happen as arranged,” Kumin said.
“They said to hand in the suspects and exhibits tomorrow (today) in the presence of the incumbent MP and Minister for Defence Win Bakri Daki.”
Candidate Wako Naposu told other Tambul-Nebilyer candidates, election officials, security personnel and others present that his supporters had been killed and he wanted the killers brought to justice.
“We were on a convoy driving to Mt Hagen town from Tambul when we were attacked,” he said.
“Tambul-Nebilyer is a peaceful electorate, the campaigns were smooth and so was polling despite a few misunderstandings and just before the counting my supporters were attacked for no good reason and were shot with guns.”
Naposu said he chose not to retaliate and instead left it in the hands of the police to resolve and bring those responsible to account.
People’s Progress Party candidate Paul Mawa and independent James Kennedy Steven agreed with Naposu and called on police to investigate the attack and arrest and charge those responsible.
Provincial Police Commander John Sagom commended Naposu for his attitude and for maintaining peace.
Sagom also called on the people not to harbour the killers and hand them over to police to avoid more violence.


Ambunti-Dreikikier heading into eliminations: RO

By ILEEN NAKRA KAMBILAPI
AMBUNTI-Dreikikier returning officer Pius Numbatai says primary counting was completed on Sunday and his team had started quality checks yesterday.
“We will go into the second count and the elimination process tomorrow (Tuesday),” he said.
Numbatai said there were total of 38 ballot boxes being counted – 10 ballot boxes from Ambunti local level government (LLG), 12 from Dreikikier, seven from Gawanga and nine from Tunap-Hunstein LLGs.
“Because of a lack of logistics in place, we had 19 ballot boxes from the Dreikikier and Gawanga LLGs counted at the Dreikikier station while the rest of the boxes were from the Ambunti, Tunap-Hunstein LLG which were counted in Maprik,” he said.
“Though the primary counting for Ambunti-Dreikikier happened in two different locations, we were able to start the counting together and ended it together successfully,” he said.
Numbatai said they started their primary count last Tuesday and finished on Saturday.
He said during the weekend they moved the ballot boxes from Dreikikier station after the primary count to Maprik to go into elimination and count two with those boxes from Ambunti and Tunap Hautein LLGs
that were in Maprik as an absolute majority had not been reached.
“Meanwhile, I cannot give the names and total votes of the first top five candidates and the total allowable ballot papers into count as we are still in the process of doing quality check.”
Numbatai said they would start with the elimination for Ambunti-Dreikikier today.


Man refused bail, court application needed

By MALIKAI BALANDU
A MAN charged with using of threatening words and spreading misleading reports against a candidate in Markham, Morobe, had his case adjourned by a district court in Lae on Monday.
Paul Kasi, 52, from Markham’s Ituap village appeared before Magistrate Isaac Tjipet who adjourned his case to trial on charges of
spreading misleading reports and using of threatening words that allegedly triggered an incident during counting at Mutzing station on July 16.
The court made the ruling after Kasi pleaded not guilty to the two charges and had his case adjourned to trial on Aug 8.
The court denied Kasi bail and ordered him to make a proper application in court.
“Since you pleaded not guilty to the charges, I will adjourn the case to Aug 8 for you to stand trial, bail is refused but you can make a proper bail application anytime,” Magistrate Tjipet said.
According to police, between 9am and 3pm on July 7, Kasi was at Siriwarang village and allegedly spread false information about a candidate in Markham.
Kasi allegedly threatened a campaign official which sparked off an incident at Mutzing on July 16 which saw the burning of ballot boxes and papers. The defendant and three others will appear before a committal court tomorrow.

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