Zurenuoc: Accurate electoral roll key

By ZACHERY PER
ACCURATE electoral roll is the pillar of the success of next year’s general elections.
Provincial and Local Government Affairs Department secretary Manasupe Zurenuoc pointed this out in Goroka last Friday during the launch of family order listing for the highlands region.
However, Zurenuoc, who is also the chairman of inter-departmental election steering committee, said in PNG, the electoral roll had never been correct since 1977.
And today, the common roll has been badly riddled with ghost names with some voters casting their votes under dead people’s names.
“Such flaws in the roll includes presence of ghost names, duplication of names and names of deceased and underage voters, these contributed to the inflation of the electoral roll when it was last updated in 2007,” he said.
“It is the responsibility of the Electoral Commission as the election management body of PNG, with funding support from the national government, to find ways to correct mistakes, flaws and inconsistencies on the electoral roll and come up with a credible roll.”
Zurenuoc said in 2002, the common roll had five million people listed as eligible voters which was incorrect.
In 2003, it was reduced to three million which was still over the mark.
“We want to have a clean roll under family order listing of voters who are still alive today.
“The challenge is on everyone to get the roll right to elect good leaders in to parliament,” he said, adding that the success of the new initiative depended on the cooperation of people in the respective council ward areas with their councillors, LLG presidents and public servants in the listing exercise.
He commended Electoral Commissioner Andrew Trawen and his staff for an excellent effort with the successful trial of the new family order listing in Yagaria LLG in Lufa district, Eastern Highlands, and Lorengau in Manus.
“The government is committed to see a smooth and fair election next year, the successful turn out lies in a credible common roll with family order listing.”