Maru: Electronic voting dropped
PEOPLE’S National Congress Party deputy leader Richard Maru has expressed shock and disappointment that the Government has stopped preparations for electronic voting at the 2022 national elections which the previous government had been going ahead with.
In asking Prime Minister James Marape in Parliament to explain the progress, Maru said the current Government had failed to advance the initiatives that would have enabled a freer and fairer election in 2022.
But Marape recently told Parliament that the Government had stopped the National Identification (NID) programme as it bore almost no result after K200 million was spent on it.
He said less than five per cent of about eight million Papua New Guinea citizens had registered under the programme.
“Our Government has stopped NID for some time because (they) bid for another K200 million to (continue) the programme,” Marape said.
“This is one of the big projects that sounded nice but delivered almost little or nothing.”
Maru said: “Until this government blocked the electoral reforms, the nation had been on track for a safe and secure electronic voting and counting process for 2022.
“The O’Neill-Abel government, under medium-term development plan number three, specifically committed that by 2022 we would have electronic voting and counting, and this was budgeted for.
“You only have to wonder why the Marape-Government has stopped funding and has suspended the procurement process that would have enabled full transparency in the electoral process at the next elections.”
Maru said there were a series of steps that had to be undertaken immediately because failure to act now would undermine the success of the general election in 2022.
“The Government has to bring forward amendments to electoral laws so that reform and electronic voting can take place.
“Secondly, the Government must review the tender for the electronic voting and counting systems that were stopped last year.
“This is essential so we can move beyond the manual system.
“They must then train the local staff to use the new systems and equipment, and do pilot testing in one or two electorates and provinces.
“Finally, the Government must wake up and go out to update the voter ID system and update the common roll.
“James Marape has gone to sleep and is not providing leadership, political oversight or the drive to deliver election reforms, he simply has no idea, but Parliament must push him to start making decisions.”
Maru said Parliament should also be given a chance to decide if it will change from the Limited Preferential Voting (LPV) system to the First Past the Post (FPTP) system, as has been anticipated for some time.
“The FPTP system is easier to use when voting, particularly if the voter is not literate and has less potential to result in disputes.
“FPTP is used around the world, particularly through the Commonwealth.
“Countries such as the United Kingdom, India, Canada, the United States and the Solomon Islands all use the First Past the Post system.
“The current Australian-style Limited Preferential Voting System is overly complicated and is the constant source of disputes and violence.”
Maru said preparations had been at a very advanced stage after a significant amount of planning and preparations, and much of this was now lost. “Our government had consulted with countries such as India, where 800 million people vote and they have election results in three days.
“Papua New Guinea should be delivering world-class electronic voting and counting processes in 2022, the technology is ready to use but the Marape government has almost made sure this will not be possible.
“The prime minister is the minister responsible for the conduct of all elections including the upcoming 2022 general election.
“We want NID to run parallel with Census 2020 and in the process, we can update the common roll or biometric registry if the electoral commission feels that way so we save money, add value, and achieve more,” he said.
“We want to have one unified platform instead of the common roll, NSO, and NID having their own data and platform,” Marape said.
10 comments
Maru should reveal what happened to the first K200m and for what purpose is another request for the same amount?
This country is not ready for electronic voting without a complete Voter Registration in an electronic database and to blame Marape/Stevens govt for unpreparedness is to stoop low. Maru was National Planning Minister when the K200m evaporated in thin air only registering 300 000 on the NID format.
Given that rate of registration, and to reach a tragtet of 9m population, it is going to take 25 years. This NID project , as essential it might seem for national development purpose, the manner is which it is rolled out speaks volumes about those who are running it…they simply aren’t thinking out of the box.
The NID project is very easy to complete. All the people involved have no idea at all where to start & how to complete the whole works. Politicians make decisions but the bureaucratic machinery is to blame for the failures of delivery. Geological Resources Engineering Consultant knows very well how NID can be easily completed
So Maru wants Government to keep pumping money into a program that has little to no success and K200m that disappeared in thin air? I think he has some motives.
PMJM please investigate the first lot of K20m before going further with NID projects as it ever completes its proposed time. Over to you.
Every man women and children must be identified for the future .
Electronic voting must be implimented sooner rather than later.
It’s better to identify every one now while our population is still relatively small.
Imagine one day when population reaches 20million (Not to far off)
And still no electronic identity system in place.
Every person needs to be accounted for, Medical, voting, educational, national security, well fare.
Another failure of this present Government.
Vot for no confidence.
This is stupid idea and it proposed during PNC and dropped off because it was not going to benefit PNC and they opening their corrupt mouths to start it again. Shame on you power hungry devils.
NID is a failed project initiated by the previous government in which they should be held accountable for. K200m is huge and the best thing for the Prime Minister to do is to stop it. I suggest give the amount to private organisations to roll out the project. The results will be fruitful. I have been waiting for my NID for the last 4 year and hopes are fading out whether I have one.
Why didn’t Waigani moguls use an existing system rather than try to set up a new and more expensive one?
Easy way would be to use LLG Councils as the source for registration
Each ward recorder would know his people who have given birth, died, married.
Recorder ensures form is completed in triplicate
One stays as the book copy; one for forwarding to LLG and top copy is for family.
Forms to be numbered and any damaged ones returned for striking off LLG records.
LLG to forward their copy of certificates to census division – monthly.
Thanks Arthur Williams. Vital point. The elected member of the electorate should reside in his electorate and must know exactly the total number of population in his electorate. That must be his job roles so he can present to the National Government. They just go crowding in Port Moresby and expecting the national government to do their jobs. PMJM kindly check and send all back to their own electorate to start doing manual counting to save cost.
Electronic voting can solve alot of problems we face with elections every term. Including the issue of people voting more than one time or the age old rigging of ballot boxes. One thing for sure, we wouldn’t waste so much money on the exercise every time elections roll around. An electronic voting system would require less people to operate. Declarations can be made as soon as voting ends, eliminating the need to count votes which goes on for days or weeks. We should be moving forward and trying to adopt approaches that will help us in the long run, not try to maintain old systems that continue to cause many problems for us. Maru is obviously a man of vision, an innovator and someone willing to think outside of the box. We need more people who think this way. Not only in politics but in the private and public sectors of employment and society in general.
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