Call for fresh LLG polls

 A TWO-term Wapenamanda local level government council president is calling on the Electoral Commission to conduct supplementary elections for the 23 failed elections in the Highlands region.

Nick Andaka said yesterday they needed to be in the decision-making body to decide how they would spend the K500,000 given to each LLG and the K10 million in the district services improvement programme given to every open MP. Andaka said there was no fair representation at the provincial assemblies and joint district and budget priorities committees and called for supplementary elections to be held quickly.

He said there had to be fair representation at the decision-making level to make informed decisions to ensure goods and services were equally distributed to all the districts and each LLG. “While some of us are waiting for the supplementary elections, others have already been sworn-in. That will lead to one-sided decisions,” he said.

“I respect the decision taken by Electoral Commissioner Andrew Trawen to declare failed elections in 23 local level governments for reasons like widespread violence, intimidation, threats, destruction of ballot boxes and papers, riots, ransacking of polling booths and holding hostages.” 

He said Trawen’s decision was an eye opener and people should respect that.

He said his people in the Wapenamanda local level government were waiting to hear from the electoral commissioner when the supplementary elections would be held.

The failed local level government elections in the six Highlands provinces were Tsak, Wapenamanda, Porgera, Porgera Urban, Kandep and Wage, in Enga; Hagen Rural, Hagen Urban, Mul, Kotna and Muglamp in Western Highlands; South Waghi, North Waghi, Anglimp, Tari-Pori in Hela; Ialibu Basin, Mendi Urban, Poroma in Southern Highlands and Goroka Urban, Gahuku, Lower Ben and Lower Asaro, in Eastern Highlands.