Gaiwata urges candidates to stop petitions

National, Normal
Source:

Then National, Tuesday 11th September, 2012

THE people of Morobe will continue to suffer if losing election candidates go to the Court of Disputed Returns to contest the victory of provincial parliamentarians, Deputy Governor Morokoi Gaiwata said yesterday.
Gaiwata, who is the Waria local level government president, said in Lae that Morobe had lagged in service delivery in past years and moves to take the election of new parliamentarians to court would only hurt them.
He appealed to all losing candidates to forget taking matters to court and to question whether what they were trying to do was in the best interest of the electorate or the province.
“I am not pinpointing anyone in particular but want to say that losing candidates should have the people at heart and not do things that might cause more hardship for people, especially those in rural Morobe,” he said.
“Morobe is behind in terms of service delivery and it is because leaders are playing too much politics.”
Gaiwata said former parliamentarians who lost in the elections should be reflecting on their performanc,
whether they had brought any development to their people when trying to take the matter up with the Court of Disputed Returns.
“All those who lost must accept defeat because the people have exercised their democratic right to choose someone in and others out and all parliamentarians should be allowed five years to prove themselves,” Gaiwata said.
He said election cases could take months or years and while that was happening, “all services to the respective electorates are frozen and people suffer”.
He urged all Morobe leaders to work together for the good of the people and province.