by KEVIN PAMBA
Parkop’s victory is a welcome benchmark
IMAGINE if the National Capital
District voters that installed Powes Parkop as the governor of the
capital city on Sunday were the entire voting population of the
country that were to have elected the rest of the Members of
Parliament.
If this was the case, Papua New Guineans would have voted into
Parliament 109 men and women as dictated to by their learned
conscience and nothing else.
They would have elected mostly visionary men and women of
impeccable integrity and sound community standing who would use
their leadership skills for the good of all.
The NCD voters had one main advantage they used well in this
election over people in most other electorate.
They had information about the issues, candidates and their role
as voters. They were an informed public.
In addition, the NCD voters were fortunate to be part of a
one-town electorate where there is a concentration of media,
education, transport, telecommunication, security and other
services.
Literacy was not a major issue with residents of PNG’s biggest
metropolis who can communicate in any of the three national lingua
franca, English, Tok Pisin and Hiri Motu.
In addition, the NCD residents need not worry about tribal or
ethnic backlash in their choice and public support for candidates
as would their counterparts in many rural electorate. As residents
of a cosmopolitan society, they had no tribal or ethnic enemy to
be wary of as they voted. They need not worry about owing someone
a wantok ‘block-vote’.
The NCD residents for once wielded their power through the ballot
box in a manner that is the envy of any democracy. And they
elected someone out of their conscience.
This was a case of an educated and informed electorate making a
befitting choice in the ballot box.
The voters put aside their varying differences and allegiances and
allowed their learned conscience to dictate their choice.
Here is a case where a wide spectrum of people was not swayed by
other influences than the inner calling from how informed and
educated they were as residents PNG’s biggest city.
Mr Parkop’s victory piggybacked on a coordinated but simple and
straightforward awareness on the wrongs and rights of life and
management of the city and the nation and the options available to
make things better.
The Powes Parkop campaign trail was different. There was no
grandstanding. No ‘rented crowd’ followed every rally around the
city. No promises. No gifts. No handouts.
But enlightening information and ideas were aplenty.
“I don’t have millions of kina to give you but I have millions of
ideas to share,” Mr Parkop is reported to have stated during his
campaign.
That comment summarised how the city residents were encouraged to
vote away from the status quo.
The NCD voters, as members of an educated and informed electorate,
would have done what they did in the 2007 election all those
elections ago.
But they have left it until this election. May be they have come
of age. May be they have felt the impact of their past voting
patterns and opted for change.
This time the city voters allowed their heads to dictate their
voting and not their stomachs and emotions.
Only time will tell how Mr Parkop will reciprocate the
overwhelming trust bestowed on him.
The example set by NCD regional voters is a cause for emulation.
Already voters in some electorate have demonstrated such level of
electoral maturity. Voters in electorate like Port Moresby
Northwest, Port Moresby South, Lae Open, and the East New Britain
seats stand out in this regard.
The victory of Mr Parkop sets a new benchmark and it sends the
right message to all other electorate in the country that election
results cannot be bartered, bought or even stolen through any
fraudulent means.
They shouldn’t be. Elections can and should be won without any
strings attached.
It doesn’t have to be very expensive to the candidate and his
team, as proven by Mr Parkop and few others.
It can be won with heaps of honest dissemination of information
and straight talking about issues and the future possibilities
with the people.
