Wednesday February 07, 2007

SOME people have predicted that this year’s general election will be a complete chaos.
Indeed, successive governments have failed to take steps to minimise or eradicate the rigging practices prevalent in elections.
More frightening is the current Government’s failure to act on the recommendations of the Gun Committee because firearms contributed to chaotic elections.
We have witnessed total chaos in Southern Highlands in the last general election, where even a container of ballot papers was set ablaze in Wabag town.
Election-related violence and atrocities were widespread in the Highlands.
And this year, there is the added confusion over the new limited preferential voting (LPV) system and ballot papers.
The new LPV system was trialed in a few by-elections around the country.
In the Highlands, where most of the problems occurred, a few by-elections there showed that violence was contained.
However, that does not mean that rigging practices have stopped, or prematurely conclude that LPV will minimise election-related problems.
Despite the fact that the system did call for collaboration among voters and candidates, we cannot be certain that violence will cease.
There are two more changes, which the voter should become acquainted with.
First, the ordering of the electoral roll is unlike the previous one listed along lineage groups.
It is now alphabetically ordered, which may create some confusion, especially in the rural areas, where people queue up at polling stations in lineage groups.
Second, the ballot paper has been altered.
Unlike the LPV ballot used in the by-elections where the voter puts the preference 1, 2 or 3 in the box provided of the preferred candidates, the new format only has the preferences 1, 2 and 3.
Boxes are provided where the voter will write the code of the candidate, or the name of the candidates, or can do both.
The code of the candidate will start from the figure 10 onwards.
The change will confuse illiterate voters, and provide greater opportunity for people to tamper with the voting process.
Systems will not change anything to the electoral process unless people are educated in the principles of statehood, democracy and good governance.
It is only after such rigorous education that people will improve their decision-making.
However, election chaos can be curbed if voters avoid many common rigging practices.
Election anomalies begin with the enrolment of names on the electoral roll, often by using ghost names.
In some instances, names of some clan members are reduced and others increased.
To help curb this, statutory bodies dealing with national statistics, demography and population should make a concerted effort to register every citizen.
Voter registration can be a nightmare and in future, every person wishing to vote should be required to produce a document of identification.
Other rigging practices can be instigated by renegade candidates through cash hand-outs or loans and promises of jobs and promotions.
Many electoral officials, who are mainly public servants, are coaxed into manipulating election materials.
During the Simbu by-election, some election officials pre-marked the ballots.
There were other instances of unprofessional conduct by election officials, involving free beer and women before polling day.
In some places, voters were simply harassed.
Rigging also occurred because of incompetence among polling officials, who did not supply adequate ballot papers, or incomplete electoral rolls, which denied many voters their right.
Police and the PNG Defence Force personnel have helped monitor elections in the past and many were also the targets of bribes.
At the polling stations, they were lured away from their posts with food and drinks, paving the way for supporters to tamper with the ballots and other election materials.
In some cases, ballots went missing.
In the recent Koroba-Lake Kopiago by-election, a candidate was seen in a helicopter transporting election materials.
Candidates also contribute to election anomalies by distributing money to voters and campaigning openly at the polling stations.
They instigated their supporters to intimidate voters and create a violent environment around polling stations.
Security and supervision were lacking at some places, and all sorts of anomalies occurred – double voting, impersonation and so on. People could also see how others were voting as there was no privacy.
Despite all this, penalties were not imposed.
Under the law, a person who double-votes can be fined up to K400 or jailed for three months.
Anyone who removes any material from the polling booth faces a fine of K500.
A person who votes
using someone else’s identity can be jailed up to two years.
The same also applies to the destruction of ballot papers and boxes.
The security of polling stations is imperative as it will minimise the many rigging practices by election officials, candidates and the voters.
Every individual should also take the responsibility to report those involved in act of rigging to the authorities for prosecution.

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