‘People must vote LLG boss’

Papua
Source:
The National, Monday July 18th, 2016

Local level government presidents in Central have supported comments made by the Morobe Tutumang members who had criticised the Electoral Commission for proposing to allow ward councillors to elect presidents as in the past.
Speaking on behalf of the 13  local level government presidents in Central, Hiri LLG president Haoda Rogea said the LLG presidents must be elected by the people and not ward councillors.
Rogea said the election of local level government presidents by ward councillors would lead to election of leaders that would not support the people in the communities.
He said the local level government was in the midst of the rural people and the people must be given the freedom and opportunity to elect a leader which they trusted to deliver basic services. He said the local level government presidents in Central were ready to support the Tutumang members if they took the matter to court.
Rogea appealed to the Government to focus more attention to LLGs.
He said most of the developments in the rural areas were done by the LLGs through LLG services improvement programme funds.
He said the LLG presidents understood the needs of the people in the community better because they lived with them.
Morobe deputy governor Judas Nalau and the Tutumang members critised the EC decision to revert to the election of LLG presidents by ward councillors.
They said they would seek legal interpretation of the EC’s decision.