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MPs hand out cash to villagers
By YEHIURA HRIEHWAZI
CASH in K100 and K50 notes are being handed
out to villagers in almost every electorate in the Simbu province,
businessman and former MP John Nilkare claimed.
Fresh from a visit to Gumine Open electorate and other parts of the
province, Mr Nilkare expressed anger at the apparent abuse of office by
sitting MPs and others who are virtually “buying votes” for the general
election which begins next Friday, with the issue writs.
“As we are talking now, there is cash being handed out,” Mr Nilkare
said.
He will contest the Gumine Open seat under the National Party ticket.
Mr Nilkare said his team had produced a video footage of one of the MPs
distributing wads of K100 and K50 notes. The tape had been handed over
to the Ombudsman Commission for appropriate action to be taken. He would
make a copy of the tape available to the media soon.
“Simbu has become a cash bonanza, its happening all over the province.
“I had been in Parliament more times than any of the current politicians
and intending candidates and I’ve never seen anything like this before,”
the man, who was Member for Gumine in 1982 to 1987 and 1992-1997, said.
Mr Nilkare co-founded the League for National Advancement with Sir Barry
Holloway, the late Sir Anthony Siaguru and Karl Stack in 1986.
In 1993/94 he was part of a team of “like-minded” leaders that included
Bart Philemon, Bernard Narokobi, Masket Iangalio and John Momis that
formed a political group calling itself the National Alliance.
The former government ‘kiap’ and district court magistrate said he was
amazed that funds from district support grants were handed out to
projects in Gumine and other areas without proper project appraisals and
verification by relevant Government officers in the districts.
“For instance, money being handed out for coffee projects have not been
appraised by the district adviser on agriculture,” he said.
Mr Nilkare also claimed that in one particular case involving K30,000,
one of the sitting MPs had a formal police complaint laid against him by
the provincial administration in Kundiawa but “police have not arrested
and charged the Member”.
He cried foul against Kerowagi police mobile squad for escorting the MP
to various villages and districts to flagrantly abuse the law by dishing
out cash to virtually “buy votes”.
He called on the Simbu provincial police commander to immediately arrest
the MP and charged him with misusing the K30,000 which he said “is the
first lot of cash hand-outs”.
“There’s more money being handed out and police should intervene,” he
said.
 
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