Eastern Highlands Governor Peter Numu arrested by cops
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Eastern Highlands
Governor Peter Numu arrested by cops
PORT MORESBY: Incumbent Eastern Highlands Governor Peter
Numu, who has yet to be declared a a winner in General Election 2022 (GE22),
was arrested with more than 100 supporters for allegedly disrupting the
counting of ballots for the provincial seat in Goroka.
Commander Supt Michael
Welly said two vehicles were burnt after security forces personnel rounded up
Numu and his supporters on Saturday.
“It looks like opportunists
burnt the vehicles. Numu and his close protection officers were arrested with 133
others for allegedly interfering in the Election Commission counting process,”
he added.
PNG Cyber Monitor reproduces below the news break and a few GE22 news updates as published by The National:
Police arrest Numu,
supporters
August 9, 2022The
NationalMain Stories
Provincial police commander Superintendent Michael Welly said two vehicles were
burnt after members of the security forces rounded up Numu and his supporters
on Saturday.
“It looks like opportunists burnt the vehicles,” he said.
“Numu and his close protection officers were arrested with 133 others for
allegedly interfering in the counting process, demanding that Numu be declared.
“The supporters came in truck loads to the National Sports Institute where
counting was taking place.”
Supt Welly said the supporters demanded that returning officer Livingstone
Mangero declare Numu the winner.
“They threw stones and sticks into the counting venue,” he said.
“Members of the security force then arrested 133 supporters with Numu.
Numu was later released on a K1,000 bail with conditions.
His supporters are still being processed for bail.
Supt Welly said he had warned Numu several times that his group had been
harassing supporters of other candidates.
“Numu assured him that he would send them back to the village.
“The last time, I told him was in front of Assistant Commissioner Police (ACP)
Peter Guiness,” he said.
Bird replaces Pruaitch as National Alliance
Party leader
From left: National
Alliance Party president Stephen Pokawin, Angoram MP Saliyo Waipo, Namatanai MP
Walter Schnaubelt, outgoing party president Patrick Pruaitch, East Sepik
Governor Allan Bird, Kairuku MP Peter Isoaimo and party secretary/public
officer Joyce Grant at the party office yesterday. – Picture supplied
By HELEN TARAWA
EAST Sepik
Governor-elect Allan Bird is the new parliamentary leader of the National
Alliance Party.
Bird told The National that he was appointed yesterday during
the parliamentary caucus meeting.
Outgoing parliamentary party leader Patrick Pruaitch, who lost his Aitape-Lumi
seat, attended the meeting.
He said each MP was given the opportunity to address the meeting.
They then agreed to elect Bird as the parliamentary leader.
The five party MPs are Bird, Walter Schnaubelt (Namatanai), Peter Isoaimo
(Kairuku), Saliyo Waipo (Angoram), and the late William Nakin (North
Bougainville).
There will be a by-election held for North Bougainville seat.
Pruaitch thanked Schnaubelt, who was also considered for the party leader, for
his “immeasurable” contribution to the party.
“He also raised his hand for the position,” Pruaitch said.
He wished the party MPs all the best and urged them to stand united and become
“an even more effective and vibrant political party”.
14 seats yet to be declared
THERE are 14 more seats to be declared as the 85
elected members whose writs have been returned to Government House prepare to
attend the first sitting of Parliament today.
Prime Minister James Marape said the winners of 104 seats had been confirmed so
far.
Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai returned 85 writs to Governor-General Grand
Chief Sir Bob Dadae last Friday.
The other 19 writs are still with him and expected to be returned with others
to Sir Bob by the new 4pm deadline on Friday, Aug 12.
The 85 MPs will be sworn in today by Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika.
Marape said compared to past elections, the “2022 General Election (GE22) went
well”.
“Yes, we had issues but we managed to deliver, with 104 seats been declared. We
still have 14 more to go,” Marape said.
Marape said that despite reports of election-related violence from parts of the
country, almost 95 percent of the country ran a successful election.
Funding delays probe:
Police
August 9, 2022The
NationalMain Stories
Morobe provincial police commander Supt Jacob Singura said the lack of
consistent and adequate funding had delayed investigations.
He said this however, did not mean that police would shirk its duty to ensure
those who had committed offences and caused disruption in the General Election
were charged and prosecuted.
He said his officers would start investigations once funds were made available.
“Candidates who are found to be involved in those incidents will still be
arrested and charged together with their supporters,” he said.
The main incidents that happened during the General Election 2022 (GE22) during
the campaign, polling and counting processes were the one at Finschhafen’s
Mindik village during the campaign period, Markham and Kabwum during the
counting and at Sialum.
Singura said for Markham incident there were still more arrests to be made
apart from the first five that were arrested while for Kabwum, the
investigation was yet to be conducted.
“Police need assistance at the district level to carry out their investigations
into those election related incidents.
“We will not let those incidents go unattended,” he said.
Iduhu is first Hiri-Koiari MP
From left: Mum Ulato,
member-elect for Hiri-Koiari Keith Iduhu, son Henao Ismael, dad Henao Iduhu and
Hiri-Koiari returning officer Leo Ameua after the signing of the writ.
KEITH Iduhu is
inaugural member for the Hiri-Koiari electorate in Central after his
declaration at Murray Barracks in Port Moresby last Friday.
Speaking during the declaration, the New Generation party leader said under his
leadership, he would focus on land reform, tax regime, economic stimulus and
education.
Iduhu said land reform was key to unlocking economic reform in the district and
the country.
“We will create a national customary land policy that will form and secure
titles for all clans and unlock the economic potential of every family and
clan,” he said.
He said establishment of food consolidation centres would help the grassroots
economy in the district.
“This will promote and direct investment into the district and the province,”
he said.
Iduhu said the district was left behind because there was not enough support
going towards education.
“Therefore, we will build technical secondary schools and authorise the Metago
University Act for a bible-based university in the district,” he said.
Iduhu said they would establish the Kokoda memorial highway and guide the
Kokoda Trek Management Bill to meet the interest of the people of Mt. Koiari
that live along the trek.
“This will open up Mt. Koiari to the world as they’ve been denied access for
some time including education and other basic services,” he said.
Iduhu polled 13,447 votes, passing the absolute majority mark of 11,595.
United Resources Party candidate Steven Manai John was the runner-up with 9,742
votes.
Election planning needs to be done well:
Singura
SECURITY provided at
General Election 2022 (GE22) sites in Morobe were planned well before the event
and are adequate, police say.
Morobe police commander Superintendent Jacob Singura said much of the violence
that happened in parts of the province had been contained by the security
force.
“The only problem that we faced was proper planning from the Papua New Guinea
Electoral Commission (PNGEC) level,” he said.
“Their planning needs to be effective and should come in advance, well before
the GE22 starts.”
He said police should have carried out awareness in communities well before the
issue of writs to educate people about what to do and what not to during the
election.
“We have gone through elections over the years but many people still do not
know fully the meaning of it,” he said. Singura thanked the service provided by
the PNG Defence Force and Correctional Services to help police during election.
He said the PNGEC should plan now after experiencing what happened for
elections ahead.
“Security personnel should be the first people on the ground before election
officials can go in to conduct polling or counting,” he said.
Singura added that for Morobe, security personnel stationed at different
locations in the province to help in the election process did their best.
Meanwhile, South-Western Zone and Wau Police Station commander Senior Insp Leo
Kaikas said the security issue they faced was during transportation of ballot
boxes, counting and declarations.
Kaikas said some security personnel in Morobe were yet to get their allowances.
MP focuses on economic independence for his
district
OBURA-Wonenara member-elect John Boito says he
wants economic independence for his people.
Boito, who arrived in Port Moresby yesterday with other members from Eastern
Highlands and Morobe, said he would support the Pangu government because of
their policies.
“The Marape government is focusing on economic independence and this is what I
want for my people for the next five years,” he said.
Boito said Pangu had also introduced the small to medium enterprise (SME)
policy and the initiative on economic independence.
“I will continue the SME policy and also Connect PNG for my people.
“We will continue and deliver so that my people of Obura-Wonenara can benefit
and be independent economically,” he said.
“When I was MP from 2007 to 2012, there was so much talk about DSIP but only
selected members were given DSIP. I was one of those who received less funds
although we were promised K10 million a year for our districts.”
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