Tewae Siassi deserves free, fair elections

ALLOW me express concern for the appointment of the returning officer (RO) for Tewae-Siassi for the 2017 general elections.
The people of Tewae-Siassi electorate and all intending candidates have welcomed the appointment of Wasu LLG manager as RO of our electorate.
He has a wealth of experience in the public service and has relevant experience in conducting elections. He is a God-fearing citizen.
His appointment has followed a normal process and passed through various stages of screening. After careful consideration, the Morobe provincial election steering committee recommended his appointment.
However, his appointment was rejected by the PNG Electoral Commission, which appointed an inexperienced person as RO for Tewae Siassi.
This type of late appointment is very suspicious and is likely to lead into problems during and after the elections.
The people of Tewae Siassi deserve to have “free and fair” elections and not corrupt practices such as manipulation of the election processes.
I therefore call for an investigation into this late appointment and for the Wasu LLG manager to be reinstated as RO for Tewae-Siassi.

Concerned
Tewae-Siassi