Wenge says deferral by six months best option

By ELLEN TIAMU
MOROBE Governor Luther Wenge believes it is wise to defer the general election.
And he warned that the Electoral Commission’s failure to register everyone of voting age in time for the election is a breach of the Constitution.
He said yesterday if voters could not vote because their names were not on the common roll, they had the right to take the government to court.
The PNG Electoral Commission, in a report tabled in parliament last week, said 40% of the people of voting age were yet to be listed after the roll update last year.
It blamed insufficient funding for the problem.
Wenge said it meant the general election had to be deferred by six months or however long the commissioner thought was appropriate.
Wenge, a lawyer by profession, said by law, a general election must be held every five years.
But, in the event the electoral commissioner decided that the election should not happen, he could issue the writs on the scheduled date but postpone polling to a later date.
“By law, only the commissioner has the power to defer an election,” he said.
“Personally I am ready for the election.
“But, as a leader, I want to state without any reservation that this country is not ready for the election even though the electoral commissioner thinks otherwise.”