Printer clarifies printing cost

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
GOVERNMENT Printer Christine Lenturut says the quotation they gave to the Electoral Commission to print 15 million ballot papers was K12 million – and not K23 million as claimed by Patilias Gamato.
Lenturut said they would have provided a quotation of around K6.6 million to print the ballot papers if they had been advised to print only 10 million ballot papers for the general election alone, leaving out the ballot papers for the local level government elections.
Lenturut was responding to a statement by Gamato last week that the printing had to be given to an Indonesian company because its quotation of K6.6 million was cheaper than the Government Printers’ K23 million.
“The revised final costing for the printing of 15 million ballot papers for both the general and LLG elections is K12 million,” Lenturut said.
“The GPO (Government Printing Office) was not requested by the Electoral Commission to quote for the printing of 10 million ballot papers for the general election.
“It would be in the best interest of all parties that the Electoral commissioner correctly reports K12 million as GPO’s quote for 15 million ballot papers for both the general and LLG elections.” The printing of the ballot papers for the general election is being done by the Pura Group in Semarang city, Indonesia.
Lenturut said the cost of K12 million had been justified at meetings with Gamato and the inter-departmental election committee chaired by Chief Secretary Isaac Lupari.