President wants genuine landowners to contest seat

 THE Government has been urged to enact laws allowing only legitimate landowners to contest the president’s seat in the local level government elections.

Ahi LLG president Sam Agi said this on Wednesday after it was alleged that 19 candidates not from Ahi were contesting the president’s seat.

The Ahi LLG is in Lae district, Morobe, and consists of a group of clans who are the traditional landowners of  Lae city and surrounding areas.

“My concern is if people from outside become presidents,” Agi said. 

How can they deal with problems involving customary landowners and land disputes in the LLG?” 

Agi, who will be defending his LLG president’s seat, said he was not concerned about winning or losing but about the well-being of the local landowners because outsiders have influenced them.

“I think it is time a law should be passed to address this. 

“Someone from outside cannot come and takeover someone else’s birthright,” Agi said.

He said everyone who was from this country had his or her own LLG 

and should go back to his or her place of origin and contest the LLG election.

“I also want to raise concern that many young people who claim to be leaders are contesting just to have their hands on the half-a-million kina that will be allocated for the LLGs,” Agi said.

Agi said such individuals did not have leadership qualities and did not have a genuine desire to serve the 

people therefore voters should be careful.

Amos Gesingsu, the patrol officer in charge of coordinating the Ahi LLG election, said more than 70 candidates have registered to contest the 17 

wards council seats and 22 candidates registered to contest the presidential seat.

Judith Gidisa is the only woman contesting the presidential seat.