SHP poll concern raised

By JAMES GUMUNO
THE new provincial returning officer for Southern Highlands is calling on the Electoral Commission to allocate money for counting officials and service providers in Mt Hagen, before they could proceed into eliminations and a declaration.
Steven Gore Kaupa said from past experience counting officials, service providers and electoral officers were not paid on time.
Kaupa said that the little money he carried over from Eastern Highlands was expended while he was in Mt Hagen for the counting.
He said that he felt sorry for the people of Southern Highlands who spent over two weeks in Mt Hagen for the counting and would not keep them waiting.
Kaupa said that he wanted the Electoral Commission to make some funding available to pay allowances for the officials and service providers before they could conclude the counting.
He said that the electoral officials and services providers must be paid their dues before he could complete the count.
Meanwhile, after the completion of the quality check as of Saturday afternoon, incumbent Governor William Powi is on 105,840, followed by Joseph Kobol on 79,052, lawyer Jerry Kiwai running third with 50,823, Pastor Bernard Kaku on fourth place 35,268, and Nelson Yano trailing in fifth place with 22,362.