Call for locals only to contest

 By ELLEN TIAMU

MOROBE Deputy Governor Morokoi Gaiwata wants the Government to pass a law allowing only local people to contest ward councillors and LLG presidents seats. 

Gaiwata, who is in the running to retain the Waria LLG president’s seat in Bulolo, said he was concerned with the number of people of other ethnicities contesting the election in the province.

He said that might be one of the causes of the rising number of election-related problems in Morobe. 

“I call on the Government to come up with a bill to restrict people so that only local people from landowner tribes and clans in each ward can contest so as to restrict anybody and everybody because as we see it now, there are law and order problems arising from the current arrangement,” he said.

“Even people from Finschhaffen should not contest in Bulolo and those from Tewae-Siassi shouldn’t run for wards in Lae.” 

Gaiwata said the lord mayor’s seat should only be contested by people from Morobe.

“We should be pushing for this because the indigenous people know what is required for their zones and areas and they can serve settlers who come from outside,” he said.