Voters prefer leaders who deliver services

Lae News, Normal
Source:

The National, Thursday July 19th, 2012

ANALYSIS
By EDDIE MOSES

TRIBAL, ethnic and group loyalties still factor immensely in the choosing of leaders in Papua New Guinea but good service delivery records can break down this negative barrier.
Tribal voting trends, under the old first-past-the-post system, was the determining factor in the election of past leaders.
It is still evident today under the limited preferential voting system (LPV).
In the former system, it was the only way to vote.
Under the LPV, it can be clearly recognised during the elimination process when a winner is not declared after the completion of primary counts.
Generally, popular candidates from a densely populated area or ethnic grouping, collect a higher percentage of primary votes than others from less populated areas.
These higher percentages of primary votes ensure a candidate is placed higher up with the serious contenders.
When less popular candidates from the same area are eliminated, these well-placed candidates stand a better chance of winning when they collect the second and third preference votes.
In Morobe, this voting trend could be clearly seen in all districts.
Candidates from the same LLG area in an electorate collected 80-90% of primary votes when ballot boxes from their area were counted.
The most popular garnered the most primary votes.
When counting moved into another LLG area, they got less primary votes while candidates from that LLG cornered most of the primary votes.
Sitting MPs, due to their popularity, scored higher primary votes. Most polled steadily in all LLGs.
This is shown by the higher percentage of MPs retaining their seats so far.
An MP’s service delivery record in the last five years is also critical.
Unseated MPs may have lost when their base voters supported another person from another LLG because of poor service delivery records.
Some prominent sitting MPs such as Jack Cameron (PNG Party, Kiriwina-Goodenough), Gabriel Kapris (PNG Party, Maprik), Koni Iguan (PNG Party, Markham),  Michael Sapau (T.H.E Party, Manus regional) and Job Pomat (PNC, Manus open) may have fallen because of this.
This trend is promising as it shows voter maturity.
Voters are now more informed and want a leader who can bring development and improve service delivery.
They are no longer restrained by tribal or ethnic loyalties.
They want a leader who can serve the interests of all people in the electorate equally.
Events at the national level, such as the ongoing political impasse, have minimal influence on their choice of leader.
In Morobe, voters in Bulolo have resoundingly indicated their preference for a leader who can deliver.
They have sent their sitting MP, Sam Basil, back to parliament for a second five-year term with 24,954 primary votes.
The distribution of votes in the electorate indicated that Basil collected the majority of primary votes in all LLGs in the electorate.
He outpolled all his challengers in their own backyards.
This shows that although the average PNG voter may still be influenced by tribal and ethnic loyalties, leaders who deliver fairly and equitably throughout the electorate are assured
of being re-elected.