Electoral system must change

 REFORMING the Papua New Guinea electoral system is an ongoing challenge. Due to the lack of widespread development in the country it is difficult to have uniform progress. 

Most places are rural in setting and the majority of people are considered semi-literate at best. 

The change from a basic first-past-the-post system to the limited preferential voting system was introduced at the 2007 elections. 

Now into the second term, there are still some teething problems. There are still pockets of communities that have little appreciation of the new voting system. 

One such setting is the Aitape, in West Sepik. A primary school teacher Martinus Adadikam said he had lived and worked in the district for most of his life and had not seen officers or representatives of the PNG Electoral Commission since the country became self-governing in 1975. 

But he said that was changing after the recent Youth Election Awareness Festival conducted by the commission last Friday. 

The purpose of the festival was for youth to take the lead in bring about a change in the mind-set and attitudes to the new system. 

The electoral commission for its part recognised that not only are youth the future of the country but if they believe and trust in a system and process then chances are that will filter through to the rest of the community. 

It makes sense to target the youth and hopefully this can see the way Papua New Guineans approach elections change from the emotional, tribal, ethnic, handout mentality  that holds sway at many polling booths to individuals operating in the a democratic way choosing the best candidate according to their convictions.   

It is hoped that once young people have a better understanding of the LPV system and its part in a truly democratic process they can help ensure future elections are held in a fair and safe manner.

The problems that were associated with the previous electoral system are still present in the new. 

If cases before the court of disputed returns are any indication the system is not the problem but rather the campaign officials and supporters’ willingness to cheat and use flagrantly biased means to gain an advantage over rivals.

Many electorates in the last national elections in 2012 witnessed instances of multiple voting, stolen ballot papers that were marked and put in for counting, inflated voter numbers for an electorate, the bribery of electoral officials by candidates to corrupt the process and the intimidation and coercion of the public by supporters of candidates to vote a certain way. That attitude has to stop if we are to call our society a democratic and free one. 

One of the ways suggested by authorities to ensure fair and free voting has been to register all voters in using some kind of identification system. That plan will only work if the people are willing to accept it. Some people in Pangia, Southern Highlands, Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s home district, have rejected the voter identification awareness and data collecting project by the electoral commission.

According to the report, Southern Highlands was selected to trial a new voter’s process registration and Kauo Wards 1, 2 and 3 was the venue for the trial but refused to be part of the process.They said they would only consider taking part if O’Neill was present.

At this stage it is unclear whether the people did this in protest over their member’s lack of presence in the electorate or their suspicion over the state’s attempt to register them.

One would hope that the rejection is more to do with the first possible reason and not the second because that would be much easier to address.

Deputy commissioner for election administration, Steven Yaki said the voter ID card was crucial for free and fair elections and this would go a long way in solving a perennial problem – identifying voters and making sure everyone had a chance to exercise their rights at the polls.

It may be hard for people in rural areas, and everywhere else, to accept but making the voting system more effective depends on the success of the changes the commission is trying to make. 

That is why the youth are the key to this process.