PNGEC not well prepared

THIS election is the electoral process for the 9th Parliament in Papua New Guinea.
Over the 42 years as an independent state, nine elections have been conducted and each one was completed with its own set of setbacks.
One would think, as the years progress, lessons would have been learnt and that the process is corrected and not repeated.
No one said polling was going to be smooth sailing in PNG. But some of the issues experienced in the past elections should be minimal or manageable.
The PNGEC has had five years to prepare for this election.
There should be no excuse for what is happening around the country. The PNGEC catch-word on its flyers and advertisement says: Your Vote Counts.
Again, we note that officers from the 2012  General Election and many gone by are still in the commission.
The check list has failed.
Through the nomination and campaign periods and the first two days of polling, the news was not all that bad.
The peaceful campaign some say could be attributed to development and a sign that Papua New Guineans have matured.
Sure there have been isolated incidents of violence – the count now from election-related violence stands at six deaths from West New Britain, Gulf, Chimbu, Southern Highlands, Port Moresby and Eastern Highlands.
Many predicted it was the calm before the storm.
However, much as we might against problems from past elections being repeated, the odds are against us.
The stakes this time are extremely high. It is not just a power thing anymore.
Money, loads of it, is in the offing.
Imagine moving around with K185,000 cold hard cash without any police escort.
And this money is supposedly to pay polling officials ‘camping allowance’.
Well that is what happened on the morning of June 27.
Electoral Commission Patilias Gamto announced the deferral of polling in NCD about an hour after 8am when polling officials refused to take their stations because they were not paid their allowance.
Port Moresby polling officials during a briefing on Sunday were told by the Electoral Commission all their allowances would be credited directly into their bank accounts first thing on Monday.
No transaction took place on Monday, no update. Then they were told to go camp in their respective areas for ease of movement the next day.
The idea was to set up early so voting in Port Moresby will start at 8am on the dot on July 27.
A couple of hours later, news broke on social media that three electoral officials had been arrested and were being questioned at Boroko police station after police found suspicious documents and marked ballot boxes.
Later that afternoon at a news conference, the media grilled the Electoral Commissioner for answers to what had been happening in the capital.
Gamato denied allegations that his officers were involved in suspected bribery, saying the cash found was meant to be payment for the outstanding allowances to NCD polling officials.
The commission had earlier said allowances were not paid in cash. But Gamato indicated the official was compelled to carry the money because the urgent situation around the polling officers’ demands warranted it.
And we might add, carrying such an amount on a morning without any police escort is perplexing.
If the officers had been promised their allowance, then pay them what’s due. They will be or are the ones who will ensure this election is conducted fair and free of trouble.
They are the front line to the polling booths.
Despite complaints in several provinces about caches of ballot papers being illegally handled by candidates, Gamato said he was not aware of extra papers floating around.
Since the two-week polling schedule started in other parts of PNG, there has been a flood of complaints around electoral rolls and allegations of extra ballot papers being handled by candidates before polling. After the reports in the media this week, nobody will be left in any doubt as to the level of preparedness of the PNG Electoral Commission for the conduct of the 2017 elections.
The preparation has been flimsy and lacklustre.
Yet with all that has gone on so far in polling, it is difficult to see how this election can gain integrity from here on.