Fee increase a good filter for candiates

THE Government has been pushing for legislative changes to accommodate the increase in nomination fees, shorter campaign period from two months to one month, election petition fees to increase and the postponement of the local level government elections from 2017 to 2018.
The Government has the numbers on the floor of Parliament and will definitely make these electoral changes.
The first reading has no problem with the majority from the Government side supporting the bills by way of legislative changes.
The second reading will surely get the same government support.
The Opposition and others throughout PNG are not comfortable with the changes and threatened to take legal actions should the government uses its numerical strengths to get the legislative amendments passed.
Most of the so-called political opportunists who usually run around with mere K1000 nomination fees are feeling the pain of this decision.
Democracy and its application must be exercised for the good of an individual, family and nation as a whole. But in PNG we apply the principles of democracy to the detriment of one another thus leading to hatred, jealousy, tribal fights, killings, tribal disintegration and societal disunity.
We cannot say anyone can stand for elections even though our constitution provides for.
But those who truly prepare for the elections must run for elections and not anybody just with a K1000 running around to destroy and break up votes for genuine candidates.
Nobody is above the constitution and we all respect that but it’s about time we stop this nonsense of contesting elections for the wrong reasons and allow only the genuine candidates contest.
So despite genuine arguments from the Opposition and others, the fees increase will filter the good from the bad.

Mark Paul
6-Mile, NCD