Nine CBOs to help carry out poll awareness

ELECTION awareness campaigns in East New Britain will be carried by four non-governmental organisations.
Nine civil society organisations (CSOs) who had applied to help carry out the election awareness programme will operate under the NGOs.
Provincial election manager Terrence Hetinu said the four NGOs recently expressed interest in carrying out awareness in the four districts.
Last Friday at the Kokopo Village Resort, an officer from the electoral commission dealing with New Guinea Island region conducted a training for the CSOs.
They discussed requirements they must satisfy to be eligible for funding to carry out the awareness programmes funded by AusAID.
The CSOs had applied to carry out the awareness but were told their applications were not successful as most of them were smaller community-based organisations who were requesting for bigger funding.
The CSOs’ applications also did not state their clear objectives and most were from one electorate.
Hetinu said the nine smaller CSOs would be reporting and making acquittals to the four NGOs.
He said the awareness would focus on advocating good governance, voting for good leaders with sound leadership qualities, transparency and accountability, early campaigning and the LPV voting system.
Previously funding went direct to returning officers and assistant returning officers in the districts tasked to conduct awareness at the LLG level.