MP ready to defend seat

By LULU MARK and DALE LUMA
MORESBY North West incumbent MP Lohia Boe Samuel, who is facing a murder charge, was nominated yesterday to defend his seat in general election 2022.
Samuel’s nomination and papers were accepted by election returning officer Vincent Manukayasi at 4.27pm in Hohola’s Ipi Oval.
Samuel, who won the seat in a by-election last year, was the ninth hopeful to file his papers on the first day of nominations,
He said: “I decided to come and file my nomination quietly.
“I am happy to see other challengers.
“It is also good that the nominations are conducted in the open.
“If the counting is done like this, it will be better.”
Samuel is contesting on a Pangu Pati ticket.
The other candidates who filed their nominations were; Desmond Yaninen (Independent), Isaac Lupari, Joe Tonde (United Labour Party), Dr Thaddeus Kambanei (People’s Congress Party), Jackson Kiakari (Independent), Anna Bais (People’s Party), Mefu Kerekere, Memafu Kapera (PNG Party), Allan Nanguromo (Independent) and Mathew Malingi (Independent).
Manukayasi said the nominations opened at 3pm and six candidates were expected but 11 turned up and was closed at 4.44pm. He said nominations would resume at 8am and close at 4pm today.
“For Moresby North West, we are expecting at least a 30-corner electoral battle or even a bigger field.”
One of Samuel’s challenger, Yaninen, said Papua New Guinea had one of the lowest gross domestic product in the world despite being one of the richest natural resources country.
“If elected, my focus will therefore be to help grow household income through the creation of small-medium enterprise (SMEs),” he said.
“That will also have to come with improved access to basic services.”
Yaninen, a Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh Business School Master of Business Administration, said SME activities must be stepped up aggressively to ensure a minimum of one business per family. Every household here should have a business, a formal business registered with the Investment Promotion Authority, pay taxes to the Internal Revenue Commission and contributing to superannuation funds for retirement benefits,” he said.
“That is what I will strive for the people, if elected.”
Yaninen said every business should employ at least four people.
“So, if we can create 50,000 small businesses here, that should create 200,000 new jobs for the people,” he said. “That is how you create opportunities and income the people.”
Yaninen lamented that despite Moresby North West being an urban constituency, “the people suffer from lack of basic services”.

First 4 enter Moresby South race

MORESBY-South incumbent MP Justin Tkatchenko was one of the four candidates whose nomination was made at the Sir Hubert Murray Stadium yesterday.
According to the National Capital District (NCD) assistant election manager Roselyn Tabogani, the other three candidates nominated yesterday for Moresby South were Charles Kassman (People’s Congress Party), Michelle Hau’Ofa (People’s Party) and Samson Kirilyo.
She said only four candidates were nominated yesterday but nominations would continue today from 8am and more candidates were expected to show up.
She said the nominations for the Moresby South Electorate closed earlier than the other nomination centres, with Moresby North-East going into the night.

Female candidate: Women contesting must be taken seriously

By LULU MARK
WOMEN contesting the four seats in the National Capital District (NCD) are a force to be reckoned with, Moresby North-West candidate Anna Bais says.
Bais nominated to contest at Ipi Oval in Hohola yesterday.
The former secretary for the Department of Community Development and Religion is running under the People’s Party along with Michelle Hau’ofa for Moresby South, Tania Bale for Moresby North-
East and Sylvia Pascoe for NCD regional.
Bais after serving the department for 27 years, resigned last year to contest the by-election where she was the only female candidate among 41 contestants.
She said the other three female candidates were all first-timers so she had been sharing her experience with them and they were talking and working together.
“I’ve learned many things and in the by-election,” she said.
“I am looking forward to the election after gaining experience in the by-election.
“I am wiser, smarter, I’ve re-strategised and I have a great strategy to ensure that I win this election.”
Bais said she had told her constituents that the way things were today was the result of how they had voted.
“You want to change tomorrow, you change the way you vote today,” she said.
Bais said the trend where people went to intending candidates with their problems for help and then classifying them as leader depending on their response and help had to stop.
“That kind of voting has really spoilt this country so I am trying to break the culture of the way we have voted.
“I think I can do it,” Bais said.
According to the NCD assistant election manager Roselyn Tabogani, Bais could be the only woman contesting the Moresby North-West seat.
Tobogani said the number of women contesting in this election had increased from the 2017 election.