Manning issues traffic warning

By AILEEN KWARAGU
POLICE Commissioner David Manning has ordered his men and women to enforce strict traffic laws on general election 2022 candidates for people’s safety.
“Overloading of vehicles is a traffic offence which candidates and their supporters must be mindful of,” he said.
“People should not get excited of following their candidates to nomination centres because overloading can cause accidents.
“Candidates will not want to be burdened with dealing with haus krai or compensating supporters’ families due to the reckless practice and behaviour.”
Manning also appealed to the public to observe all other traffic rules.
“Our laws are not suspended during general elections,” he said.
“There should be heavy presence to ensure laws are abided by the public.”
He warned that the end result of overloading vehicles could be falling off vehicles and “they will be entirely responsible for themselves”.
Manning said he had observed that many candidates and supporters flocked to nomination centres on overloaded vehicles and trucks last week.
Last week, National Capital District Metropolitan Superintendent Gideon Ikumu appealed to candidates to be considerate and respect traffic rules.
He also urged them to inform his office their schedules to nomination centres so that police were prepared with security measures.

259 candidates for Chimbu registered

By ZACHERY PER
BY the end of the second day of nominations on Saturday, 259 candidates were registered to contest in Chimbu in general election 2022.
Provincial elections manager Reverend Tom Sine said six women were among those nominated, three for the provincial seat and the other three were for Gumine, Chuave and Salt-Nomane Karamui Open seats.
“It was a peaceful nomination exercise for the six open seats and the provincial seat,” he added.
Sine appealed to candidates and supporters to maintain the peaceful start to the electoral process to the end of the general election.
“There is a good number of prominent citizens registered to contest, including current and former Members of Parliament,” he said.
Incumbent Chuave MP Wera Mori is defending his Chuave seat for a third consecutive term.
He said he would not be contesting in 2027, if he wins again.
He is facing 23 challengers this time around.
PNG National Party leader and Petroleum Minister Kerenga Kua filed his nominations at Kamtai district office to defend his Sinasina-Yongumugl seat and is also looking for his third-consecutive term.
Kua will face 26 aspiring young politicians including former National AIDS Council director Dr Mawa Dala.
Nominations for Kundiawa-Gembogl was smooth with 30 candidates and their supporters turning up in truck loads to file their nominations.

Agarobe hopes to continue plans in Central

By AILEEN KWARAGU
CENTRAL Governor Robert Agarobe plans to continue the Smart Central plan when and if he returns for the 12th National Parliament.
Defending his seat under the Pangu Pati, Agarobe said his focus would be on economy independence for the province as exercised through his “one crop per district” concept. “The party (Pangu) has not been about political independence thus it has always been about economic independence,” he said.
Agarobe said his term over the last five years had been challenging and he had been driven to improve all sectors of the province through a plan.
He said creating the plan two years ago had forced them to pass a budget in 2020 that was in line with policies aimed at promoting development in Central.
Agarobe was among 11 regional candidates that nominated on Thursday at Bautama.
Other candidates included second timers, Rufina Peter and Boe Eno Daera and eight new comers to the race.

Women put up hands to contest seats in Morobe, Northern

FIVE women will contest seats in Northern while three have put up their hands for seats in Morobe as nominations for the 2022 General Election began in earnest on Thursday.
In Port Moresby, Moresby North-East returning officer Billy George said he expected nominations for the seat to be more than the 55 that were recorded for the 2017 election.
Of the five Oro women running for office, former Sohe MP Delilah Gore and People’s National Congress candidate is recontesting the seat she lost in 2017.
Former provincial executive council member Deborah Emboge is running as an independent for the new Popondetta Open seat.
The other three women are former acting Chief Ombudsman Pheobe Sangetari (United Labour Party), Jean Eparo and Esmie Sinapa – both independent candidates – who are among 17 other candidates taking on incumbent Gary Juffa for the Northern regional seat.
In Morobe, Jennifer Baing, daughter of former Markham MP Andrew Baing, will contest the regional seat under the People’s Movement For Change banner along with Sheila Pati Harou, a former acting provincial administrator, running for the same seat under National Alliance while PNG Party’s Gengewe Neritha Ganzik will contest the Markham Open.
The women were part of 49 nominations recorded so far for Morobe.
Former Morobe governor and People’s Labour Party’s Luther Wenge was the first to nominate for the regional seat.
George told The National that over the last two days the electorate had already received 40 nominations including three from women.
He said 34 candidates had nominated on Thursday alone after some confusion and delay that saw the nominating daily closing time pushed to 7pm from the normal 4pm.
George explained a large number of candidates turned up on the first day because of the confusion caused by the deferral of the date.
“By looking at 2017 nominations with a total of 55 candidates, there are likely to be more.”
Candidates are to refrain from campaigning until after Thursday.