Vanimo- Green officials plan boycott

By ELIAS NANAUin Vanimo
COUNTING officials for the Vanimo-Green River open seat will boycott counting once all primary counts have been completed.
Spokesman Cletus Sarike said the boycott would be over unpaid meal allowances and outstanding polling allowances.
“After the primary count, we will boycott until payments are made,” Sarike said.
“It was promised last Friday that payments would be paid on July 12. We are just waiting around here and there is no lunch.”
Numbering up to 140 officials, they were supposed to be paid K70 per day which they had not been getting since counting started on Tuesday.
They argued that polling officials from the outstations of Imonda, Amanab and Green River, who were now in Vanimo, had not received their training and polling allowances.
Returning officer Peter Solo said a cheque had been cleared late yesterday afternoon and funds would be disbursed directly to their accounts and in cash for those without accounts.
“Hopefully this would be tomorrow,” Solo said.