The chaos was all planned

IT is clear that the hijacking and manipulation of electoral process for General Election 2022 was pre-planned.
Free, fair and safe polling was not reported in most wards in the country.
We see on social and mainstream media about reports of widespread violence, depriving voters of their constitutional right to elect leaders without intimidation.
Block-voting and the hijacking of ballot boxes and papers were orchestrated in almost all Highlands provinces.
Candidates were seen to be the main instigators of fights and destruction of properties.
The so-called “elites” that were cronies of a sitting MP or a cash-strapped candidate manipulated these vulnerable and gullible youths to use force to control polling booths, thus, voters like women and the elderly did not have the chance to exercise their democratic right to vote.
So much money has been used to bribe voters, security personnel and polling and counting officials.
After the conclusion of this election, we will have some leaders who are not the “peoples’ choice” entering Parliament.
Those who play out their corrupt plans successfully and come out victorious will live with a guilty conscience.
In the five years that they are in power, that guilt will bother them day and night because they will know for sure that they were not mandated by the people.
This election was conducted a bit differently than previous elections.
Security forces deployed to the polling areas had less or no control over voters, instead, voters overpowered them.
I concur with a statement made on social media by former Hela governor Francis Potape that election results in Hela is not the outcome expected by the people.
He said people in key government positions, politicians, educated elites, community leaders and the tribal warlords collaborated to decide the outcome in almost all the seats in Hela.
Such practices reflect that those sitting MPs and candidates do not care about the system or our democracy.
What happened in Hela is not an isolated issue.
Polling and counting in other provinces experienced similar instances.
This indicates to us one thing – there was initial collaborative plan to conduct elections through fraudulent means to get into power.
The use of guns in the election is another serious matter.
People could not vote because they feared the repercussions if they voted against the will of armed groups.
Papua New Guineans no longer feel safe in their own areas because guns are already in the hands
of certain members of the community or warlords with wrong intentions.
If our democracy is continuously coming under attack and being played around with to the advantage of a few, the future of this proud Christian country will be under siege and will be taken over by tyrants, warlords, thugs, criminals, murderers, rapists, drug addicts etc and PNG will become another banana republic.

Tony Palme
Banz