|
By ZACHERY PER
POLLING officials in Eastern Highlands province are demanding the
Electoral Commission to pay their allowances before counting begins.
Yesterday, polling officials queued up in front of the electoral
manager’s office in Goroka demanding their allowances to be paid before
counting starts this weekend.
At around 12.30pm, they became rowdy prompting Goroka police response
unit members to disperse them.
A female polling official said they started coming to Alwynn Jimmy’s
office for their allowance since Tuesday after polling was completed.
She said to their dismay they received no words from the officials.
Henganofi presiding officer Alois Kawagle and his assistant Kativa
Muhuzu called on Electoral Commissioner Andrew Trawen to issue an
instruction for respective returning officers to pay them according to
the gazetted rate.
They said from past experiences the Electoral Commission had a tendency
to delay the payment of allowances, adding that they received their 2002
allowance after three years.
Mr Kawagle also said some of them were yet to receive their 1997 polling
and counting allowances.
The gazetted rate for presiding officers is K37 per day for 11 days,
assistant presiding officers K35 a day for 11 days and drivers and other
support staff K25 per day for 11 days.
Meanwhile, Eastern Highlands provincial police commander Supt Philip
Solala said polling in most parts of the provinces had been completed
while polling in the remote Wesan area of Goroka electorate had been
completed and were brought in late yesterday.
He said counting was expected to begin this weekend.
 
|
