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Parliament extension bid
By ZACHERY PER
THE 2007 general elections should be
deferred and the life of this Parliament extended by another 12 months
because of the worsening law and order situation in the Highlands
region.
This is the view of the Permanent Parliamentary Committee on Law and
Order, headed by Lagaip-Porgera MP Yarka Kappa.
Mr Kappa, who is on a tour of the Highlands with members of his
committee to gauge views of community leaders and relevant stakeholders
on the issue, said the committee will recommend for an extension of the
current Parliament by six to 12 months to give the Government time to
address the law and order situation in the region.
Mr Kappa told a stakeholders meeting in Eastern Highlands province last
week that extension of the current parliamentary term had become the
call of the people.
“The extension is necessary to sort out the current law and order
situation before going into the election,” Mr Kappa said.
He said the people wanted a violence-free election to exercise their
full democratic rights to vote for quality leaders and as such wanted
the current law and order situation addressed.
He said the region was riddled with firearms and violence of a grand
scale was imminent if nothing was done.
Mr Kappa said it was obvious that elected leaders and intending
candidates were arming their supporters with firearms and ammunition in
their bid to win the election.
He said they needed the support of both the Government and the
Opposition to amend the Constitution to extend the life of this
Parliament.
The committee met with members of the provincial executive council (PEC),
students from the University of Goroka, police, public servants and
community leaders.
Eastern Highlands Deputy Governor Joksy Nakime said he feared that
elections in most parts of the Highlands would fail because of the
buildup of firearms for the elections.
It was also suggested that identification cards (ID) for eligible voters
be produced during the extension period, and more police personnel
recruited for the eventual polls.
The committee believes the extension would also allow for more awareness
campaign on the limited preferential voting (LPV) system, and for the
common rolls to be updated properly.
The committee headed by Mr Kappa comprises of Dickson Maki (Kompiam-Ambum)
as deputy leader, David Sui (Kandrian-Glouster), Kuri Kingal (Mul-Baiyer)
and Ekis Ropenu (Kerema).
The committee is to present its findings and recommendations to
Parliament in the next sitting at the end of this month.
Writs for the national elections are to be issued on May 4.
Violence involving the use of firearms and widespread irregularities had
caused elections in six electorates in the Southern Highlands to be
declared failures.
Concerns about the presence of firearms in the villages had led to a
National Guns Summit spearheaded by Justice Minister Bire Kimisopa in
2004, but its recommendations have never been implemented.
 
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