802 votes excluded from Goroka

By VICKY BAUNKE
A TOTAL of 802 ballot papers that went missing at a polling booth in Goroka, Eastern Highlands, will not be admitted for counting.
Eastern Highlands provincial election manager Steven Gore Kaupa said this at the counting centre after seeking advice from the Electoral Commission.
Kaupa said the ballot papers belonging to the Maninga polling booth, Notofana village, in the Gahuku local level government (LLG) were found among the Rothmans ballot papers during distribution before counting on Saturday at the National Sports Institute (NSI).
“It was mixed with the Rotmans ballot papers and we went through the serial numbers and the serial range and the 802 ballot papers that went missing on Tuesday morning (July 7) after leaving the Goroka police station,” he said.
He said the presiding officer was responsible for the ballot papers and was yet to report to the police.
“We have sought legal advice from Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai and he said polling at the Rothmans polling booth must be respected and the Rothmans votes must be counted.
“The Maninga ballot papers that were stolen and found at the Rothmans polling booth will not be admitted for counting,” he said.
Kaupa said advice from Sinai was for ballot papers for Maninga be removed from the total number of papers that was cast at Rothmans.
He said that Rothmans itself had a voting population of 1,600 and with the 802 from Maninga going down, the total papers used at the polling booth at Rothmans was about 2,400.
“But now with the legal advice from the Commissioner, the 802 ballot papers that belong to the Maninga polling location will now be removed and not admitted for counting,” he said.

Tom clears air on Maramuni boxes in Wabag

By DALE LUMA
INCUMBENT Fisheries and Marine Resources Minister and Wabag MP Dr Lino Tom says there was no hijacking of ballot boxes for Maramuni in Wabag’s election process.
Upon his arrival in Port Moresby yesterday after retaining the seat by an absolute majority, Dr Tom clarified that the decision to move ballot boxes for Maramuni into Pasalagus station was done by the people of Maramuni themselves.
“The people of Wabag have been complaining that we hijacked ballot boxes so I want the nation to know that the decision was made by the people of Maramuni, it was not anybody’s decision,” he said.
“The people of Wabag blocked roads and wanted to destroy ballot boxes for Maramuni before they were transported to Maramuni.
“They tried to shoot down helicopters and blocked roads that’s why the people of Maramuni themselves chose that for the safety of the boxes, they themselves made the decision.”
Dr Tom, who was received by the Maramuni community in Port Moresby, vowed that service delivery would continue in the district.
He said following on from the construction of the road into Maramuni, the Enga-Sepik highway would be progressed in this term of parliament.
Maramuni community representative Steven Moses congratulated Dr Tom for being re-elected.
He also wanted the people of Wabag to do away with the idea that ballot boxes for Maramuni were hijacked.
Dr Tom was declared the winner of the Wabag Open seat on Tuesday with 35,783 votes, 24,976 votes clear of runner-up Kennedy Thomas Lemban.

ToBaining Junior wins Kokopo seat

PEOPLE’S National Congress (PNC) candidate Ereman ToBaining Junior is the member-elect for Kokopo.
ToBaining Jnr was officially declared as Kokopo MP yesterday afternoon by returning officer Darius Kunai.
He polled 12,052 votes after exclusion 20 of People’s First Party candidate Komet Malari, who polled 8,005, sitting MP and Pangu candidate Emil Tammur received 6,729 votes.
Absolute majority after exclusion 20 was 9,392 and ToBaining received 2,660 votes over that mark.
ToBaining was the MP for Kokopo from 2012 to 2017.
He lost the seat to Tammur in the 2017 general election.
ToBaining Jnr is from Balanataman ward in the Raluana local level government in Kokopo.
He thanked the other candidates and urged them to work with him to develop Kokopo and was looking forward to working with the district administration.
ToBaining said his immediate priority would be to improve law and order in the district.

Paita retains Finschhafen seat, to serve for next five years

RAINBO Paita has retained the Finschhafen Open seat he first won in 2017, saying the big margin between him and the runner-up indicated the people’s confidence in his leadership.
The Pangu Pati candidate polled 23,504 voted.
Runner-up and former Finschhafen MP and Speaker Theo Zurenuoc received 4,157.
Paita told the people in Gagidu, Finschhafen, that the number of votes he received showed the popular support of the people.
“With that, I am not taking your support for granted (but) seriously,” he said.
“I will work extra hard to ensure services are delivered to the people in the next five years.”
Paita was satisfied with the level of service he had provided in the past five years.
“Services I have brought to the people (include) road and bridges maintenance, police station and other public facilities,” he said.
Paita thanked the candidates who contested the seat and his supporters in Burum Kuat and Hube local level governments for 14,500 votes.