Issuing of writs deferred to May
By REBECCA KUKU
THE writs for this year’s general election will be issued on May 5 or 12 to allow the seven new electorates to be included in the election process, according to Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai.
“The issuing of the writs will be deferred from April 28 to May 5, or even as late as May 12,” he said.
“This is so that the ballot papers for the seven new electorates can be printed.”
Sinai told The National last night that the postponement was to give the commission enough time to include the seven new electorates in the election preparations.
The seven new electorates are:
- DELTA Fly in Middle Fly, Western;
- HIRI-Koiari in Kairuku-Hiri, Central;
- POPONDETTA in Ijivitari, Northern;
- NAKANAI in Talasea, West New Britain;
- WAU-Waria in Bulolo, Morobe;
- KOMO-Hulia in Komo-Margarima, Hela; and,
- PORGERA-Paiela in Laigap-Porgera, Enga.
They were included last month for the general election, bringing to 118 the total seats to be contested.
Sinai said because they were only approved recently, the 12 million ballot papers printed in Australia for this year’s election did not include their ballot papers. “We have, therefore, requested for a deferral,” he said. The confirmed date will be made today.
Issuing of writs postponement a concern
TRANSPARENCY International is concerned about the postponement of the issuing of writs for this year’s national election.
Transparency International PNG chairman Peter Aitsi said any politically motivated delay to the elections was a violation of citizens’ rights and a dereliction of the constitutional requirement for an election to be held every five years.
He said any move to do so should be opposed in the strongest terms by everyone “as it is an attack on the democratic principles that underpin our country”.
Section 105 of the Constitution states that the general election shall be held within the period of three months before the fifth anniversary of the day fixed for the return of the writs for the previous general election, he said.
Aitsi added that Prime Minister James Marape had stated clearly that the election would go ahead as scheduled.
“He further stated that his office was working with the Electoral Commission to ensure that the elections are on time,” he said.
“That commitment to the people to respect our Constitution must not be abandoned.”
The TIPNG has sent a letter to the Electoral Commission requesting a formal notice under the PNGEC official letterhead on this matter.
This would help the official position of the Electoral Commission to be clarified and not be misinterpreted by the citizens.
Poll delay undermines democracy, O’Neill says
IALIBU-Pangia MP Peter O’Neill says any delay in the election process undermines democracy and the Constitutional laws of the country.
The former prime minister raised this concern after the Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai asked Governor-General Grand Chief Sir Bob Dadae to defer the issuing of writs to next month.
“A term of Parliament is fixed and our people must have their fair say through an election,” O’Neill said.
“No government has the right to defer the voting process.
“No excuse or reason is good enough.
“The Government has failed our people through a lack of proper preparation and funding.
“Everyone knows this (general election) comes every five years and there is no excuse.
“The Government’s complete incompetence is now on display before the whole world.
“No wonder they continue to refer to us as a failed State.
“We are not, but a few leaders continue to let us down.”
Prime Minister James Marape during the final sitting of the 10th Parliament last Thursday reassured the nation that this year’s general election would go ahead as planned.
“There have been (doubts) that this Government will not deliver the 2022 general election on time,” he said.
“As a responsible Government, I’d like to dispel these doubts and inform this nation that we will deliver the general election on time with a budget of K600 million.”
Marape said the Government had released K288 million to be used for the election preparations.
“Further funds will be released as required throughout this process,” he said.
“To facilitate a peaceful and fair election, my Government has appropriated funding directly to our security agencies.”
Sir Bob acknowledges Anzac heroes
ANZAC Day yesterday should always be celebrated yearly as Papua New Guineans remember the servicemen who died fighting for our country, says Governor-General Grand Chief Sir Bob Dadae.
People celebrated the annual Anzac Day dawn service at the Bomana War Cemetery – after a two-year lapse because of the Coronavirus (Covid-19).
“As we celebrate the Anzac Day, may all those souls rest peacefully in the soils of Papua New Guinea,” Sir Bob said.
“To the mothers who sent your sons from faraway countries, wipe your tears, your sons are now laying to rest in our peaceful paradise.”
He said soldiers who lost their lives in the country during the war were part of PNG’s history.
“The lost souls are gone but they are not forgotten,” he said.
“They are heroes because soldiers never die.”
New Zealand High Commissioner Philip Taula said the dawn service was to remember more than 130,000 Australian and New Zealand soldiers and others who died in the service of their countries.
“As we watched the morning sunrise, there were many dawn services in Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and all around the world to remember our unsung heroes,” he said.
“As we celebrate Anzac Day, it signifies the morning of April 25, 1915, when our Anzac soldiers arrived in Gallipoli (Turkey).”
Enga police conducting pre-election awareness, officer says
ENGA police commander Chief Inspector Epenes Nili says police in Enga are into the seventh week of pre-election awareness in all electorates.
“The police are educating people on election-related offences that are mostly likely to happen during the election,” Nili said.
He said police would be deployed to all electorates to provide security and ensure that all citizens voted freely.
“There has been some threat issued by some of the supporters of candidates to police but we are carrying out the pre-election awareness to educate them to vote freely,” he said. Nili said the police were also issuing pamphlets containing election-related laws to schools for teachers to pass on to students.
“The students can take the pamphlets home and educate their families about the basic laws relating to elections,” he said.
Nili said the districts of Wapenamanda, Kandep and Wabag had been peaceful during the police pre-election awareness.
“Police are on the alert in the Laigap-Pogera district as they carry out the pre-election awareness. The situation there is tense following a spill-over from the fights in Tari, Hela recently,” he said
Govt to provide K311mil to fund general election: Treasurer
TREASURER Ian Ling-Stuckey says the Government will provide the K311 million to fund this year’s general election.
“We are expecting an additional donor support of at least K200 million,” Ling-Stuckey said.
“We are seeing this already in the support for (the printing of) ballot papers from Australia and indelible ink from India. We are releasing the cash as required.”
He said the Electoral Commission had a budget of K311.3 million.
“The plan is to warrant K150 million of this in April (this month),” he said in a statement.
“This was done in full.
“We have already funded K150 million for the Electoral Commission according to the schedule.
“We will fund an additional K21.8 million in May, a further K55.8 million in June, and a final K83.7 million in July.
“In on-going discussions with the Electoral Commission, we have also established an express lane so that if there are any funding issues, they have procedures to get these resolved.
“Additional funding is available if the requirements are proven.” Ling-Stuckey said 80 per cent of the election budget for the police had been paid – K125.2 million of the K155.2 million budget.
“We have already released 82 per cent of funding for the force linked to the election – K60 million of the budget of K72.8 million,” he said.
Ling-Stuckey said the Government would provide funding on time.