Time to work on changing boundaries

PRIME Minister James Marape announced that the Electoral Boundaries Commission (EBC) will commence work in 2018 after their work in 2014 was not accepted.
No new boundaries were accepted since the last reforms in 1977.
The commission will meet early and start consultations before the 2022 national general election.
Many provinces, districts and local governments boundaries need review.
The EBC work can only result in moving only certain hamlets, language groups, villages or wards within the same local level government (LLG) area to another.
In same vein, it could also move wards and LLGs within a district.
This can result in boundaries within a province moving into a neighbouring province.
Some people are requesting new electorates.
Most are calling for new provinces such as Western and Morobe into East and West Morobe and in Eastern Highlands between the western and eastern districts.
Another group of ethnic group not wanting to join existing provinces are the Anga or Kukukuku people who cover parts of Lamari and Yelia LLG in Obura-Wonenara in Eastern Highlands and Watut LLG in Bulolo, Morobe and whole of Menyamya and the Kamea of Gulf.
There have been talks of a Ramu province (Kainantu and Obura-Wonenara) and a splitting of Morobe’s Bulolo and Menyamya districts into a separate electorate.
Bulolo has six LLGs.
If the Watut people break away, then it goes with their ethnic kin.
The people of Marawaka in Eastern Highlands are now travelling to Bulolo for business.
Morobe has a Tutumang committee and secretariat looking at dividing Morobe into two provinces or redistribute the boundaries.
The increase in population demands that electorates be dividided.
The Morobe and Eastern Highlands governments should start their consultation processes to push for changes in boundaries.

Wilson Thompson