Why is this year’s election different

IN every democratic government system, the national election is the only time the power to rule goes back to the people to decide their representative in the national parliament.
After more than 40 years of independence, why is Papua New Guinea’s 2017 national election more different from the previous?
On one hand, could it be that the people have now become more informed of their political rights and are more aware of malpractices because of social media use?
If so, the 2017 election practices may not have actually changed but is an expressed outcome of the political empowerment process.
As such, the 2017 national election could be observed as a success story for PNG.
Despite so many things which we think have gone wrong, those things will now become a stepping stone for a better 2022 national election.
The 2017 election can only be observed as a success story if the ordinary people of PNG accept this election’s experiences as a process of a political empowerment journey and our political leaders embark on an economic resource diversification process with its citizens at heart and ensuring the equal and fair distribution of these resource.
In this way, the 2022 election might turn out to be a good one.

Kelvin Waukave
Goroka, EHP