Ex-UN staffer contests to set personal best

National, Normal
Source:

The National, Thursday July 19th, 2012

By JAYNE SAFIHAO
FATHERING 23 children from four women means many mouths to feed but that is not why Joseph Bunqui Toure or “Stingface” as he is widely known, decided to stand for the regional seat in Madang.
His reason is a bit more personal and could be considered selfish.
He wants to make
history as the first Bundi and Papua New Guinean who has contested all the forms of elections in the country.
A former peacekeeping officer with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) for eight years in Indonesia, Stingface has stood for council elections and then vied for the president’s seat.
He then contested for a seat in the former provincial government assembly, where he was beaten by the current leading candidate and sitting MP for Usino-Bundi, Samson Kuli, by 18 votes.
In 2007, he stood for the Usino-Bundi seat and now the regional seat.
“My life savings of
almost K27,000 has been spent in this election and this is one of the worst elections ever,” he said. “I think 2012 was a failed election and lawyers and the courts will have a field day making heaps.
I think everyone has made some loss and gain but for me it is more so making it in the big book as the first man and if anyone out there disagrees then give your story,” he said.
He said he had no idea how he was faring in the election as he had just returned from his village.