GE22 irregularities in PNG not serious, says Pomaleu
News that matter in Papua New Guinea
O’Neill casts vote … Ex-prime minister Peter O’Neill casting his vote at his Kauwo village in Ialibu-Pangia, Southern Highlands, yesterday. He hopes to retain the seat he had been winning since the 2002 General Election. O’Neill said he was privileged to be able to cast his vote in front of the people and the team of international and local election observers. O’Neill, who had been campaigning around the country for members of his People’s National Congress party, arrived at his home district last week. – Picture supplied
GE22 irregularities in
PNG not serious, says Pomaleu
PORT MORESBY: Inter-departmental Election Committee
Chairman Ivan Pomaleu says there are even bigger irregularities in voting that
are more serious elsewhere in the world, resulting in protests and burning of
properties.
“But in Papua New Guinea
(PNG), just because the electoral process was interfered with, how is it
possible for officials to jeopardise polling by resigning or deferring voting?”
he said.
Pomaleu, who is also
Prime Minister’s Deaprtment and National Executive Council Secretary, said
despite the hiccups, polling in the National Capital District (NCD) was
conducted peacefully in Moresby North-West and Moresby North-East yesterday.
PNG Cyber Monitor reproduces below details of Pomaleu’s claims of a successful GE22 and a few news update as published by The National:
Pomaleu: Polling not
bad in PNG
July 12, 2022The
NationalMain Stories
“But in Papua New Guinea, just because the electoral process was interfered
with, how is it possible for officials to jeopardise polling by resigning and
deferring voting?” he said.
Pomaleu, Department of Prime Minister and National Executive secretary, said
despite the hiccups, polling in the National Capital District was conducted
peacefully in Moresby North-West and Moresby South, while polling in Moresby
North-East was done yesterday.
“In other parts of the Highlands, a small fraction of disgruntled and
aggressive supporters of candidates have incited violence during polling in
which State properties have been damaged,” he said.
“We condemn such actions and call on the Joint Security Task Force to arrest
the perpetrators.”
Pomaleu also acknowledged the presence of international observers to support
the election process.
“In recent elections, there have been bitter disputes about the integrity of
our electoral system,” he said.
“As of now, the country continues to witness these appalling scenes of
disturbance and violence, created by a few disgruntled and aggressive people,
especially in the Highlands.
“We appeal to candidates and their supporters to ensure voters are comfortable
and not discouraged, while casting their ballots, and to display a sense of
maturity and responsibility during the cause of polling to avoid further
violence.”
Pomaleu said the Government had invested much resources to deliver a safe and
secure General Election 2022. “However, we regret the actions of a few
disrespectful groups of people who are determined to frustrate the electoral
process by destroying State assets,” he said. “These violent actions must stop
immediately.”
Defending the Government’s GE22 process amidst frustrations and disappointments
expressed during polling, and called for peace and calm, Pomaleu said: “Against
all odds, election officials were able to conduct safe and free elections
throughout most parts of the country, during this Coronavirus pandemic.”
Manam Island completes polling peacefully
By LORRAINE JIMAL
THE rest of the
country may do well to take a leaf out of the book of the small Yabu community
of Manam Island – as far as the General Election 2022 goes.
The local level government in Madang completed its six-day polling as
peacefully as it had started – without any major issue despite names missing
from the common roll and without any security personnel.
Polling for the 15 communities ended yesterday.
Assistant returning officer Gilbert Ruambik said he was happy with the way
people conducted themselves in maintaining peace and order.
He said the LLG comprised people living on the island and the care centre on
the main land.
Eight polling stations were set up and each had polling teams to help the
people cast their vote.
Ruambik said the main issues were missing names on the common roll and the
absence of security personnel.
“We are facing this problem here but we cannot do anything,” he said.
“Thank you to the people for their understanding. I am very happy.”
Poll results for Kokopo to be posted online
O’Neill casts vote …
Ex-prime minister Peter O’Neill casting his vote at his Kauwo village in
Ialibu-Pangia, Southern Highlands, yesterday. He hopes to retain the seat he
had been winning since the 2002 General Election. O’Neill said he was
privileged to be able to cast his vote in front of the people and the team of
international and local election observers. O’Neill, who had been campaigning
around the country for members of his People’s National Congress party, arrived
at his home district last week. – Picture suppliedTHE results of the counting of ballots in
Kokopo will be posted online, returning officer Darius Kunai says.
“In past general elections, there were false declarations of winners,” he said.
“People getting second-hand information from the streets and putting it out on
social media caused frustrations between candidates.
“The link for our official announcement is Kokopo open electorate NGE2022
progressive result.”
Kunai said because 95 per cent of the rural and urban population had access to
internet through mobile phones, “we have come up with the idea to update
counting results online”.
“This should help the public circulate accurate information based on facts and
the correct source,” he said. “I believe this will help cut down
misinformation. We provide them with the source to get the accurate information
for sharing.”
However, Kunai said the service was only for Kokopo. He said for Gazelle,
Rabaul, Pomio and the regional seat, it would be announced on radio.
Integrated data needed
July 12, 2022The
NationalMain Stories
THE challenges of
population data collection and dissemination in Papua New Guinea have become
evident in General Election 2022 as citizens are caught struggling to identify
themselves as eligible voters at the last minute.
This was among topics of discussion at a World Population Day event hosted by
Demography and Population Studies Student Association at University of Papua
New Guinea yesterday.
Speaking at the event, freelance researcher and former research officer of the
National Research Institute, Dr Esther Lavu said that data governance in PNG
was ineffective and needed to be prioritised by the Government.
“PNG has a problem with data as household survey and national census have not
seen progress since the last one was done in 2016.
“In this country, we lack the support in making sure that data is collected and
managed effectively.
“Although we have the national identification, national census and even common
roll in place, there are issues of missing names and outdated information as we
have seen in the current election,” Dr Lavu said.
“We have periodic data and administrative reports that are specific types of
reports that each organisation has mandated rights through an Act.
“The failure is that there is not one Act which can allow for an integrated
link of these networks of data in order to enhance its uses,” she said.
Senior lecturer and researcher Dr Alfred Faiteli told The National that
it was vital for each agency that was responsible for population data to
integrate their functions in producing effective and useful data results.
“There are ways and means for us researchers to go through the respective data
that each of us deal with and find opportunities where we can link this
information so that it is convenient for the end users,” Dr Faiteli said.
“I could not vote in the current general election because my name was not on
the common roll even with National Identifications (NID) card and that is
strange because the same basic information that we share with the NID is
required by the common roll and yet they are not able to access that
information from each other.
“There is need for researchers to work together in enabling a legal Act of
Parliament which can permit basic data about one person to be used right across
the board.”
Rigo, Abau counting venue shifted to NCD
By CRETILDA ALOKAKA
COUNTING for the Abau
and Rigo open seats in Central has been moved to the National Capital District
for security and administrative reasons, an official says.
The decision has been opposed by seating Rigo MP Lekwa Gure and several
candidates who petitioned the PNG Electoral Commission (PNGEC) claiming they
had not been informed of the late change.
Central election manager Peter Malaifeope said the counting venue for both
seats was to be at Kwikila station but was relocated to Bomana Correctional
Services outside Port Moresby.
“The initial plan was to have counting for Abau at the Kwikila station,
unfortunately, due to security reasons the venue was relocated to Port
Moresby,” he said.
Malaifeope said counting for other open seats in Central would also be held in
the national capital.
“Counting for Rigo, Abau and Goilala will be conducted at Bomana while for the
new Hiri-Koiari, Kairuku and the regional seat counting would be conducted at
three different venues within Murray Barracks,” he said.
“It would seem unfair to the other open electorates in Central to have their
counting in Port Moresby while Rigo has its counting in Kwikila,” he said.
Malaifeope said the change to the counting venue was approved by the Electoral
Commission (EC).
Meanwhile, Malaifeope confirmed that counting for Central’s six seats
(Regional, Rigo, Abau, Kairuku, Hiri-Koiari and Goilala) would begin tomorrow.
He said areas like Goilala, inland areas of Rigo and Mt Koiari in the
Hiri-Koiari electorate would need ballot boxes to be airlifted.
Elderly woman delays medical surgery to vote
Tomul Baiune upright
with the help of crutches casting her vote at Dark Street, 6-Mile, Saraga,
Moresby North-East. – Nationalpic by KENNEDY BANI
By BEVERLY PETER
A GRANDMOTHER in her
late 60s delayed her medical treatment and surgery to vote in the General
Election 2022 (GE22) yesterday.
“My vote is very important and I get to vote one time in five years and as long
as I am alive, I want to choose a good leader,” Tomul Baiune, from Dulai in
Chimbu, said.
Baiune said she had lived in the Saraga settlement in the Moresby North-East
electorate for almost 30 years and had actively taken part in the elections
since incumbent Moresby-North-East MP John Kaupa ventured into politics.
Yesterday, she ambled up to polling booth at Saraga “riding” her crutches and
cast her vote.
She said she was admitted to the Port Moresby General Hospital for a fractured
thigh bone and was told by the doctor that she needed surgery and treatment as
soon as possible.
“I wouldn’t be able to vote if I went in for the operation so I decided to go
in after I vote,” Baiune said.
She said she was satisfied that her name was still in the common roll, listed
under 6-Mile Saraga, Dark Street, Ward Six.
She said she would go to the hospital soon after voting and ask the doctor
concerned to proceed with the operation.
“I do not want somebody else to vote in my name or for my vote to go to waste,”
she said.
“It is my secret vote and I want to vote the leader of my choice.”
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