Commission reactived to review electoral boundaries

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
THE Electoral Boundary Commission has been reactivated to review electorate boundaries throughout the country before next year’s national elections, acting Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai says.
“We have reactivated the Boundary Commission after it last functioned in 2018,” he said.
“We need to revisit the electorate boundaries as population has grown since the last time the Government approved the Boundary Commission’s report in 1977.
“That report had recommended having 89 open electorates and 20 provinces according to the population at that time.
“Our electorate boundaries that we have now are still based on that report.
“Hela and Jiwaka were only established in 2012 and the open electorates were only being shifted from Southern Highlands to Hela and from Western Highlands to Jiwaka.
“So the 89 open electorates remain the same and now we have 22 provinces. But now the population has increases since 1977 and by law, we are now supposed to have another 21 open electorates (to have 110 open electorates).”
Sinai, who is also the commission’s chairman, yesterday announced new members of the commission.
They are surveyor-general Chris Manda (Lands Department), McDonald Nale (private lawyer), Francis Kaigarua (Department of Provincial Affairs and Local Level Government ), John Igitoi (national statistician), Karo Lelai (private lawyer) and John Kalamorah (deputy electoral commissioner ).
“Since 1977, reports submitted to successive government were not considered and the last submission was in 2006,” he said.
“The government’s response was to look at it and come back to the commission.
“But then they never did.”
Sinai said now with the new members, they will request funding from the government to do some work.