Declare state of emergency in SHP: Niningi

By BEVERLY PETER
IMBONGGU MP and former attorney general Pila Niningi wants Prime Minister James Marape, head of the National Executive Council, to declare a state of emergency in Southern Highlands.
“Innocent lives and properties were destroyed during the fight for no good reason and we as the leaders of Southern Highlands must act quickly,” he said.
Niningi said leaders of both opposing parties involved in the fighting needed to tell their supporters to stop fighting in order to calm the situation.
“The use of guns to be elected is not the way.
“Election process is a constitutional process and yes, it does hurt in a situation where ballot boxes were being burnt but we must allow the law to deal with it,” he said.
“I had gone through the same situation in 2002 where ballot boxes from my base votes were burnt, but I swallowed my pride, accepted it and allowed the system to deal with it under the law.”
Niningi said leaders should be prepared to lose in the election and if they don’t accept the result, there are appropriate avenues to raise queries.
“The destruction and barbaric killings do not address the issue.
“It is a sad day for Southern Highlands in the process of using the ballot papers to choose a leader of their own choice.
“Violence should not be used to threaten and control the election process.”
Niningi said it took a real man to accept the process and allow the rule of law to take its course instead of taking the law into our own hands.
“The action of our people in Southern Highlands is a barbaric way of choosing a leader,” he said.
He said such a situation in 2018 resulted in destruction of public properties.
An aircraft and the court house in Mendi were burnt “so we must stop it from escalating further”.