Follow election laws, judge warns

By ZACHERY PER
A JUDGE has reminded candidates and voters to follow the set laws to elect leaders into Parliament.
Justice Panuel Mogish made the comments during a welcome parade for Supreme Court judges in Goroka yesterday.
He said election petition cases are always lengthy cumbersome process that are costly, a lot of money is involved.
“This year, we are going into elections to elect leaders for the next five years, follow the laws to vote or else we (judges) go back to find election petitions filing up,” he said.
“In PNG, people do not agree to a win, when one candidate wins, there is always election petitions.
“It’s fine because petitioners have their rights.”
Justice Mogish, however, said the problem is that judges are removed from their core functions to hear election petitions until the five years is up.
“In Australia, during elections, you will not see long convoys of vehicles loaded with supporters singing, waving and shouting,” he said.
“After 47 years of independence, we are yet to be educated on how to vote, there is no need to disturb voters, I challenge you all to vote wisely and vote good leaders who can bring services to places like Goroka.”
Justice Mogish, who was born and raised in Goroka, said the town was once a beautiful town recalled the original scenes of the court house and its surroundings back them.
He said he would climbed trees on the sides of the court house road and was catching kingfisher (birds).
The Supreme Court sitting started yesterday at the Goroka National Court room and would end on Friday.

Only seven women elected since 1975

By BOSON WILSON
ONLY seven women have been elected to Parliament in Papua New Guinea’s 47-year history, an academic says.
Dr Terence Wood, a research fellow at the Development Policy Centre at the Australian National University (ANU) said PNG was one of four countries in the world to have no women in its current parliament.
“Currently, the only countries that have no women in parliament are the Federate States of Micronesia, PNG, Vanuatu and Yemen,” he said.
Wood said even though there was an increase in female candidacy, they still struggled because of the country’s political culture.
Theresa Meki, a doctoral candidate with ANU’s department of Pacific affairs, said women were less competitive because they often lacked resources.
“Women candidates often lack financial power, very few are backed by political parties and women’s credibility to lead in parliament is questioned by the people,” she said.
Meki said the likelihood of women being elected was hindered by the high cost of campaign logistics and the country’s political culture.
“It is very expensive to participate in elections because candidates have to hire cars and boats including the additional cost for merchandise,” she said.
“Women tend to have less financial resources than their rival male candidates, therefore it makes it difficult for them to navigate and conduct successful elections.”