Candidates should be properly screened

A VACANT management position was advertised in the newspaper.
An applicant applied and was advised to go for an interview and was successful.
He secured the position because of his credentials and references.
He secured the job knowing very well that he will be responsible for a large number of employees.
This scenario should be applied to next year’s general election.
There should be a process in place by which the highest office of the provincial and district level is honoured by the candidates to take the office.
This is because they will be directly involved with so many people who are taxpayers living in their electorates.
They will be responsible for delivering services to their electorate and perform other leadership roles.
Candidates should apply with their credentials such as their degree certificates, character references, work references, capital and asset background.
After the screening process, an interview has to be conducted where intending candidates state and clarify their intentions or policies to contest the election. After the interview, approval to contest the election should be given in order to contest.
If the candidate happens to win, it is with the assurance that he can be able to manage and represent his electorate because he had gone through the screening process to be the favoured leader with merits, experience and a good financial background.
Since this process is not there, we Papua New Guineans have been electing candidates with no better merits, no experience and weak or insignificant financial background into Parliament.
They tend to become political opportunists, taking advantage of the privilege of becoming political leaders by misappropriating and mismanaging State funds, engaging in corrupt deals and failing to deliver services.
This happens because the people have sowed their hope in bad leadership in the first place.

Rodney Noruma