Councillors praise Trawen’s decision

 TWO councillors in the Highlands region support the PNG Electoral Commission’s decision to have people vote for the local level government presidents.

A deputy LLG president in Jiwaka and a community leader in Pangia, Southern Highlands, who did not want to be named, said it would be fair if the people picked who they wanted.

“For many years, the council has been voting but it has been corrupt and there is no development,” one said.

“The LLG presidential voting is more or less like the national election voting in the highlands where money is being used to win the seat.

“If the people vote for the presidents, it will show who the people’s choice is and they will only have themselves to blame if services are not provided.

“Many fights break out because the councilors voted for the presidents and some have decisions pending before the courts.”

They are of the view that only a minority group in the highlands want the presidents to be elected by the councilors.

“They are using election-related violence as the reason but this is not true because it will now be the people’s choice,” the deputy president said.

“If there is going to be trouble, it will only be instigated by those contesting the president’s post.

“Past provincial assembly members were elected by the people and there was no problem. So why should there be problems now?”

He said LLG’s would be given K500, 000 annually and this gave the people the right to vote for their president.