Parties receive payments

 By ALPHONSE BARIASI

THE Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates Commission has paid K630,000 to 11 political parties represented in the current parliament after they had met requirements of the organic law. 

Commission chairman and Electoral Commissioner Andrew Trawen presented cheques to representatives of the 11 parties on July 18 in a ceremony he said signified the importance of compliance to the Organic Law on the Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates (OLIPPAC).

The funds were paid to those parties that complied with the law at a rate of K10,000 per member of parliament.

Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s People’s National Congress Party collected the highest amount of K280,000 for its 28 MPs. Although the party’s parliamentary caucus has grown to 38 following defections by individual MPs or amalgamations with smaller parties, the commission only recognised those who won the last elections under PNC.

The next highest amount of K110,000 was paid to Treasurer Don Polye’s Triumph Heritage party which has 11 members. The other parties that received funding from the commission were: National Alliance (K90,000); People’s Party (K60,000); People’s Democratic Movement (K10,000);  PNG Country Party (K20,000);  New Generation Party (K10,000), Our Development Party (K10,000), Star Alliance Party (K10,000); PNG Constitutional Democratic Party (K10,000)and Pangu Pati (K10,000) which was paid for the late Angoram MP, Ludwig Schulze. 

Registrar of the Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates Commission Dr Alphonse Gelu said only 11 of the 19 parties in parliament had qualified to receive their funding.