Minister wants boundaries reviewed

CONFUSION with the electoral boundaries between Lae, Huon-Gulf and Nawaeb in Morobe has posed administration challenges, a minister says.
Lands and Physical Planning Minister John Rosso said currently, they had a situation where people were voting in one electorate but were receiving services as it was the responsibility of another electorate.
Rosso, who is Lae MP, said the struggle to provide services in law and order, education, health, roads and other infrastructures as well as other vital services to the people in all three electorates was difficult.
He said this during a meeting yesterday hosted by Electoral Boundaries Commission at Lae Secondary School, which was attended by representatives from the nine district.
Rosso said there was an overlapping of electoral boundaries.
“During election times, people vote for a different electorate and for service delivery, they look to the other because they are close to that particular electorate,” he said. An example was West Taraka were its voters cast their ballots for Huon-Gulf, but services provided and the administration was by Lae.
He pointed out that some parts of Kamkumung were under Nawaeb, but Lae was providing services to these areas.
Rosso said an increasing population and expanding settlements had stretched Lae and it was time the Electoral Boundaries Commission reviewed and clearly demarcated electoral boundaries in the area.