NA loyal to Pangu, says Bird

INCUMBENT East Sepik Governor Allan Bird says National Alliance (NA) party will remain a coalition partner with Pangu Pati despite party leader Patrick Pruaitch trailing second in the Aitape-Lumi Open race.
Member elect for Angoram Salio Waipo’s declaration yesterday as the second NA winner added a member to Pangu’s Wewak camp.
“Let me make it clear that National Alliance and Pangu Pati had an agreement prior to the elections and that agreement was to preserve the Government that we have been a part of,” he said.
“From my last conversation with MP Patrick Pruaitch (NA leader) who is going through eliminations for his seat (Aitape-Lumi) and member elect for Namatanai MP Walter Schnaubelt, the agreement we had with Pangu is still in force.”
Bird had said the country would survive the General Election 2022 (GE22).
“I agree that our nation has many very serious challenges,” he said.
“We have many good leaders being elected all over the nation.
“It saddens me every time so-called leaders advocate violence to achieve their goals.
“If you aspire to be a leader, inspire your followers and convince your detractors of the vision you have for everyone.”
Bird is currently taking a commanding lead in the East Sepik regional seat and would be declared soon to serve for the second term.
“I have always wanted to be Governor of East Sepik,” he said.
“This begins and ends my political ambitions. Some sections of our community are calling on me to put my hand for the prime minister’s job but, I must respectfully decline, again.”

Tkatchenko thanks voters for re-election

By LULU MAGINDE
AN emotional member-elect for Port Moresby South Justin Tkatchenko said it had been a pleasure to represent and serve the electorate for 10 years and he was looking forward to the next five.
“With the support of 28,111 votes that were given to me by the majority of Moresby South who voted for me, another five years will make our electorate bigger and better than before,” he said.
Tkatchenko polled over the absolute majority of 23,310 or 50 per cent plus one of the 46,618 formal ballot papers counted.
In second place was People’s National Congress candidate Charles Kassman with 9,820, in third place was Triumph Heritage Empowerment candidate Samson Karilyo with 5,297 followed by Michelle Hau’ofa with 1,780 and Peter Hilau rounding out fifth with 1,093 votes.
Acknowledging the work that he had achieved in his two terms, Tkatchenko acknowledged seating National Capital District (NCD) governor Powes Parkop.
Tkatchenko listed the opening of a new hospital for Moresby South, ensuring all roads were sealed, providing small-to-medium enterprise (SME) funding and health care for the people as well as providing opportunities for the people of Moresby South as his priorities in the next five years.

Sungi’s win boosts Pangu

PRIME Minister and Pangu Pati leader James Marape has congratulated Nuku MP and Public Service Minister Joe Sungi on retaining his seat.
The declaration of Sungi yesterday brings to 10 the number of Pangu MPs declared so far.
Sungi polled 11,289 votes.
Melanesian Alliance Party candidate Emmanuel Waimou Nasam finished in second place with 10,772 votes.
Seventeen candidates contested the Nuku Open seat.
Marape described Sungi as a “Pangu strongman and a hardworking minister”.
Marape said Sungi had been effectively driving the public service in his time as minister.
“We are leading in 24 other seats throughout the country,” he said.
“Seventeen other Pangu candidates are sitting comfortably on second or third place, so I am very confident of us doing extremely well.”
Marape said numbers at the Wewak Camp were expected to swell as coalition partners and independent candidates flew in to the East Sepik capital.
“The Wewak Camp is already set up and we extend an open invitation to all political parties, as well as independent MPs, to join us in our efforts to ‘Take Back PNG’ and reconstruct a better future for our country,” he said.
Sungi thanked the people of Nuku for re-electing him.
“It was not easy,” he said.
“Despite the fact that we had a lot of projects (in the district), the election was not easy for me and it was a really tough one.”
He said Pangu was not using money to buy votes and vote buying and expectations for it needed to stop.

Waipo retains seat, sets focus on building new district

By GYNNIE KERO
ANGORAM MP elect Salio Waipo says the establishment of an administrative office for the new Middle Sepik electorate in East Sepik is among his list of priorities for the next five years.
The Electoral Boundaries Commission last August announced for Angoram to be split into Angoram Open and Middle Sepik Open electorates.
This means that the Middle Sepik will have its own administrative office and member of Parliament come 2027.
Waipo retained his seat for the third term after polling 16,747 votes ahead of runner-up Wesley Yanum who polled 13,803 votes. He was the second National Alliance (NA) candidate to be declared after Namatanai MP Walter Schnaubelt.
Waipo had stressed on the challenges of delivering government services in Angoram as it was cut off by swamps and the Sepik River.
Speaking from Wewak yesterday, Waipo thanked the people of Angoram for the support and confidence in him to serve them for a third term.
“I thank candidates who contested me in the General Election 2022 (GE22), we will hold hands together for the betterment of the people of Angoram and by 2027, Angoram will be split into two electorates,” he said.