Protestors not in budget: Sinai

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
ACTING Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai says people protesting about the non-payment of their claims for their involvement in the recent Moresby North-West by-election “are not in our budget”.
The protestors, including police officers, temporary election workers and service providers stormed the Electoral Commission headquarters in Port Moresby on Thursday demanding that they be paid their dues.
Sinai said they were engaged by the returning officer and his assistants without his approval.
“The protesters were not in our budget. They were engaged by the returning officer (RO Desmond Timiyaso) and his assistant returning officers without my approval,” he said.
“They committed these casuals, policemen and service providers outside of the budget. And since that it was the RO’s own engagement, we advised him to address the protestors.”
Sinai said yesterday that all those he had approved to work had already been paid.
“The ones in our budget have been paid off already,” he said.
He said the police had their own operation orders and budget.
“No policemen are supposed to be engaged without the knowledge of the Port Moresby police metropolitan commander,” Sinai said.
The protestors said they had been waiting since the completion of the by-election in June to be paid.
Timiyaso told them that the K3 million budgeted for the by-election had been used up.
“There are no funds now to pay you. So you have to wait till we get some more funds,” he said.