Let people choose our prime minister

THE Vote of No Confidence in Parliament on Friday was a forgone conclusion before the vote was taken.
Most MPs moved to the Government side because they had the numbers.
I personally commend PPP leader Ben Micah for his bold move to abandon his ministerial portfolio and defect to the Opposition.
Micah, you are a great leader of your time and hope the people of Kavieng will not let you down in the 2017 general elections.
The same goes for all Opposition MPs the former prime ministers.
I see no real value and meaning in electing the Prime Minister on the floor of Parliament and suggest that he or she should be voted by the people through the normal election process.
I can suggest how this should be done.
Some months prior to the general electionc, there should be regional election of the potential candidates for the prime minister’s post.
PNG has four regions, each region can have candidates for the PM post and people in those regions vote for their candidates.
This is a preliminary election and when it is completed and winners announced, each region should know their candidate for the prime minister’s seat.
During the general election there will be four candidates vying for the prime minister’s seat and the people of PNG can vote for them.
This is not regional based election because any potential candidate living, working, doing business in each region can contest the PM’s seat in that region.
NCD can also put one candidate.
This may sound or seem to be an expensive exercise but will be a way forward if we are to vote and elect a so-called people’s prime minister. This only needs amendments in the constitution and the Electoral Commission Act in order to accommodate this provision.
If people vote for the prime minister, he or she will remain in that post for the duration of five years and there would be no more votes of no confidence in the parliament.
There will not be any more protests, strikes and civil unrest with regards to how the Government runs the country.
Whether the PM performs, runs the country properly or not may not be an issue because people have decided in the polling booth, rather than MPs deciding on the floor of Parliament, in camps and so forth.
By doing so will also see honesty, no favoritism in allocating ministries, no lobbying etc.
This prime minister can make independent and self-determined decisions as to who gets what ministry because MPs will not lobby to support and vote for him or he in Parliament.
This is my personal view and I welcome any comments from all sectors of our society.

Frexie Maneh 
Gomosasipo, NCD