PNG warns Carr after poll delayed
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''Whatever [the Foreign Affairs Minister] Mr Bob Carr says about sanctions, I want to say … do not threaten the independent state of PNG,'' he said. ''You must respect our wishes. You must not intrude into our election process.''
The Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, said last night that Canberra was ''disappointed and concerned'' by the delay. She said that ''as a strong supporter of Papua New Guinea, Australia believes elections should be held on time, in accordance with the constitution''.
Last month Senator Carr threatened to consider sanctions against PNG if it abandoned plans to hold elections in June, saying that to do so would create a ''shocking model'' for the Pacific.
Later he said he was speaking hypothetically and Australian officials said assurances had been received from the PNG Prime Minister, Peter O'Neill, that the election would take place in late June as scheduled.
The election postponement followed a vote by parliament on Wednesday to suspend the Chief Justice, Sir Salamo Injia, and another top judge, under a controversial new law that drew a large student protest in Port Moresby and was criticised by veteran politicians as damaging the independence of the judiciary.
The O'Neill government is still facing court hearings on complaints from the former government of the independence leader Sir Michael Somare that it was illegally ousted last year.
Sir Michael was declared to have forfeited his seat through non-attendance while undergoing lengthy treatment in a Singapore hospital.
Officials familiar with PNG elections say a six-month delay appears unconstitutional. The constitution stipulates elections be held within three months before the fifth anniversary of the return of writs from the previous election. This would give at most a few weeks' leeway.
Before the vote, the minister assisting the Prime Minister on electoral matters, Waka Goi, said election funding fell short by about $30 million, electoral rolls were not ready and police were also not ready to provide security.
Mr Namah said polls must be delayed to allow for proper security to be implemented in the Southern Highlands region, where construction is under way to bring natural gas by pipeline to a liquefaction plant on the coast.
But election officials say the rolls are in comparable shape to those used before the last elections in 2007.
Security is a perennial problem in the highlands provinces but has never delayed elections since independence in 1975.
The PNG Electoral Commissioner, Andrew Trawen, recently said the updating of electoral rolls was progressing well and would be delivered on time for polling on the tentative date of June 23.
''Planning, preparing and conducting an election is the sole constitutional duty of the Electoral Commission every five years and we are confident of complete updating the roll and delivering another successful election in June,'' he said.
AAP
Namah is an immature politician. His lack of maturity is compensated by arrogance. He has bloated ego because he is tasting power that he can control and manipulate other leaders of PNG and people with. Now he is moving fast to take on Senator Bob Carr. He has no idea who Carr is. In any case what would Namah do? Pass another retrospective law to lock in his perceived national sovereignty and keep Carr out of PNG and restrain him from marshaling support from other world leaders? Come on Namah. You are unreal and a hoax. True Papua New Guineans and Carr and Australians and members of South Pacific Forum, Commonwealth, APEC, and United Nations are laughing at you and your colleagues who are so intoxicated with stolen political power. You will go to jail or lose election whichever occurs first. Please respond to this so that your intelligence can be compared with Carr's. Longlong man yu!!!
ReplyDeleteI am putting up K1 million for Namah's head. Whoever calls the shot would be rewarded with K1 million. Leave no trace. Do a clean job !!
ReplyDeleteGet lost where would you get K1 million from, you poor ignorant fool. Namah will have your head for just K1 and who the hell cares, just shoot you in public, like a car chase or the chinese mafia style. Talk reality, you foolish dreamer.
ReplyDeleteONeil/Namah government is likened to a Rescuer of a house on fire with women and children and everything inside it. Later the rescuer is allowed to lodge lodge with the family but as time goes by, the rescuer is seen to be a problem man who shits everywhere inside the house. From the kitnchen to the bedrooms or the living area and so on. Removing the rescuer from the house would seem unfair to the person who just saved them. Cleaning up of the shit every now and then is rather sickening too. The family are now left with a bucket full of problem at the crossroad. How can they deal with the good deed of the rescuer from the mess he continues to create inside the house ? What would you do if you were in such a situation? Over to you my country men and women.
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