Voter education vital

The National Editorial

MUCH has been said about educating voters to be better informed so they know how to vote, and more importantly, who to vote for, when polling starts on June 24.
A research by the Australian National University reveals that most people in PNG vote for candidates who they think will mostly likely help them, their families or their village directly.
This election, despite the much-published campaign to vote on party policies and look for personal traits in candidates, is again trending along that line.
Voters most likely will stick to the status quo as far as voting trends are concerned.
Call it short-sightedness or whatever, but to them, they want leaders who can help them and their families quickly.
Party policies are secondary.
The most effective way to move away from this way of thinking is through the provision of quality education in schools.
Children must be educated to think outside the box so to speak, to look at the bigger picture when deciding on important issues.
Many definitions of quality education exist, proving the complexity and multifaceted nature of the concept.
A paper presented by Unicef (United Nations Children’s Fund) at the meeting of the International Working Group on Education in Italy in June 2000 came up with the basic dimensions of quality education today.
They include:

  • Learners who are healthy, well-nourished and ready to participate and learn, and supported in learning by their families and communities;
  • environments that are healthy, safe, protective and gender-sensitive, and provide adequate resources and facilities;
  • content that is reflected in relevant curricula and materials for the acquisition of basic skills, especially in the areas of literacy, numeracy and skills for life, and knowledge in such areas as gender, health, nutrition, HIV/AIDS prevention and peace;
  • processes through which trained teachers use child-centred teaching approaches in well-managed classrooms and schools and skilful assessment to facilitate learning and reduce disparities; and,
  • Outcomes that encompass knowledge, skills and attitudes, and are linked to national goals for education and positive participation in society.

Thus, it is important to educate the next generation of voters what party policies mean, and why they are important, what to look out for in candidates to ensure that best people enter parliament.
Those endorsed by political parties are using the campaign period to outline their policies or platforms.
As individuals, they will talk about what they plan to do when elected to Parliament.
The majority of voters in this county live in the rural areas which means most are illiterate or semi-literate.
The high number of informal votes is attributed to voters do not understand the voting system.
Despite the awareness carried out on the limited preferential voting system, some still do
not understand that the LPV system allows three choices for the voter.
The law requires that under LPV, the winning candidate must get 50 per cent + 1 of the formal votes cast in the electorate.
Understanding the counting rules will also assist in understanding how a winner is determined and help you cast your vote wisely.
In the LPV system, there are two distinct parts to counting votes.
The primary count is the first part.
This refers to the first preference vote or vote 1 that is counted first.
At the end of the primary count, they must determine if a candidate has received 50 per cent + 1 of the first preference votes to be declared the winner.
The target is to ensure that the number of informal votes is reduced.
And that can be achieved through quality education.
Realistically it will take more than just awareness, seminars and road shows to achieve the change in mentality on this issue.
The educated elites have the chance now to make a change by reaching out to the rural population and educating them on the electoral process.
If there is no education, we can be rest assured the voting trend of casing votes for candidates is mostly likely to help them directly or their families or their village will again be followed.
The way some of our voters think needs to change to ensure we elect the best leaders to Parliament who can make sensible and effective contributions to benefit all.
That is what everyone wants.