Poll body lacks funding: Trawen

 PAPUA New Guinea Electoral Commissioner Andrew Trawen says his office has serious funding limitations to implement its programmes and prepare for the 2017 general election.

Trawen said it was because the Government did not provide what the office had asked for in the budget.

He said their recurrent budget was K36.2 million which, was a K800,000 reduction from last year’s budget. He said the commission had made a detailed submission to the Government for a total of K48.9 million for this year’s photo electoral roll project and normal roll updated programme but it was not approved. 

“We have problems on our work like the photo electoral roll-out. We do not have the money to do it,” Trawen said. “The funding is not enough, but it’s an important project on improving the electoral rolls.  Although there is the national identification project to be launched by the Government in Southern Highlands, we have our own programme (photo electoral roll out). We will do whatever we can by using our recurrent budget.”

Trawen said the boundary review programme had no budget for it. 

“We will seek Government assistance on that,” he said.

Trawen said they had other activities to carry out such as getting material for the 2017 elections, which was not included in the budget.

He said this year’s funding was not good enough. 

Trawen would try to get more funding in next year’s budget.

He said the country should be prepared for the 2017 elections.

“I have reminded all my officers that we should start planning now for the elections,” Trawen said. “We will review our election budget, equipment and material from the 2012 elections.” 

The commission’s priority programs for this year and onwards are:

Electoral roll update;

photoelectoral roll  and PNGNID project;

electoral boundaries review; and,

procurement of material for the 2017 election.