Record set in Milne Bay

 TEN local level government presidents out of 16 have lost, four retained their seats and two others have made a come-back after losing in the 2008 polls.

A Chimbu man has also made history by being elected in Milne Bay to head one of the seven mainland LLGs.

The four presidents who have retained their seats to serve a second or third successive term are Alotau mayor Gita Elliot, James Rubeni (Maramatana), Ben Kuli (Louisiade) and Elami Iko (Dobu).

Tom Cameron polled more than 5000 votes to win the Kiriwina seat, beating Paul Katumapulaby who polled more than 3000 votes.

Cameron was deputy governor to Titus Philemon from 2000-2002 after Philemon ousted Dame Josephine Abaijah as governor in a successful no confidence vote. He was also deputy governor to Tim Neville in 2002-07. 

Businessman Lelena Metoa, who was chairman for women, youth, sports and churches under Governor Tim Neville, has won the Huhu seat.

Huhu LLG is the mainstay of the Milne Bay economy through its palm oil estates and village smallholder plantations of Waigani, Giligili, Hagita and Sagarai and log exports and sawn timber, mainly for the local market.

Joe Kaur, a small businessman from Chimbu, who is married to a Milne Bay woman, beat all the local candidates and became the first man from the Highlands to be president of Weraura LLG.

Former didiman and deputy district administrator, Wilfred Light Giarua, of Bogaboga village in Cape Vogel, is the new president of Makamaka. The people of Makamaka have been without a president for more than a year after incumbent Peter Boina resigned to contest the Alotau Open seat in last year’s national elections.

Giarua won by about 10 votes from Koyabaghira councillor and acting president Parmenas Gedebi.

Journalist and former manager of NBC Radio Milne Bay, Elizah Naisoroa, came third.