PNGBLOGS

It is a shame that the Prime Minister Peter O’Neil is crying foul when all along he was collaborating with the PNG Electoral Commissioner, Mr.  Andrew Trawen and the so-called Australian expert advisors advising through Australian High Commissioner, Mr. Ian Kemish for opposing the deferral of the 2012 elections. Cries have been received from all parts of PNG echoing and demonstrating that our country was and is not ready to proceed with elections this last week. What a disaster. We have more than two hundred (200) plus Australian advisors working for the PNG Electoral Commission who have assisted orchestrate this disaster. What a shame??? I speak with the weight of facts. In my own Vanimo town urban wards, the electoral rolls there were in shambles. More than 5,000 to 6,000 eligible voters’ names were not on the electoral rolls. This is an urban/town ward. You can expect worse going into the rural districts in the electorates. The Organic Law on National and Local Level Government Elec

It is a shame that the Prime Minister Peter O’Neil is crying foul when all along he was collaborating with the PNG Electoral Commissioner, Mr.  Andrew Trawen and the so-called Australian expert advisors advising through Australian High Commissioner, Mr. Ian Kemish for opposing the deferral of the 2012 elections. Cries have been received from all parts of PNG echoing and demonstrating that our country was and is not ready to proceed with elections this last week. What a disaster. We have more than two hundred (200) plus Australian advisors working for the PNG Electoral Commission who have assisted orchestrate this disaster. What a shame??? I speak with the weight of facts. In my own Vanimo town urban wards, the electoral rolls there were in shambles. More than 5,000 to 6,000 eligible voters’ names were not on the electoral rolls. This is an urban/town ward. You can expect worse going into the rural districts in the electorates. The Organic Law on National and Local Level Government

There have been rowdy scenes in a Papua New Guinean town after people thought ballot boxes for the general election were being taken away. The completed ballot papers for the highland province of Hela are being stored in shipping containers in the provincial capital Tari. Locals say a rumour spread around town early this morning that they were going to be moved to Mt Hagen 150 kilometres away and counted there. Tari resident Eddie Yuwi says some angry candidates and their supporters responded by firing guns into the air and blocking roads with logs and heavy machinery. "All the machines were lined up on the road to block off the boxes if any security personnel were about to carry the boxes to Mt Hagen." Mr Yuwi says the situation has since calmed and the roads have been reopened. PNG police arrest ballot 'hijackers Police in Papua New Guinea say they have arrested a gang posing as policemen to hijack ballot boxes during the country's general election. Police say four

There have been rowdy scenes in a Papua New Guinean town after people thought ballot boxes for the general election were being taken away. The completed ballot papers for the highland province of Hela are being stored in shipping containers in the provincial capital Tari. Locals say a rumour spread around town early this morning that they were going to be moved to Mt Hagen 150 kilometres away and counted there. Tari resident Eddie Yuwi says some angry candidates and their supporters responded by firing guns into the air and blocking roads with logs and heavy machinery. "All the machines were lined up on the road to block off the boxes if any security personnel were about to carry the boxes to Mt Hagen." Mr Yuwi says the situation has since calmed and the roads have been reopened. PNG police arrest ballot 'hijackers Police in Papua New Guinea say they have arrested a gang posing as policemen to hijack ballot boxes during the country's general election. Police say four

On the Kokoda Track, about the point where General Tomitaro Horii's invasion force was halted in September 1942 in sight of the Coral Sea, a mobile phone will now pick up the signal from the Port Moresby network. As Papua New Guinea starts voting today in its national elections, after much worry about whether they would be held within the constitutional timeframe or even run in a meaningful way, many political players and analysts are watching to see how the mobile phone is changing the game. The last elections took place in 2007, the same year the government deregulated telecommunications and removed the monopoly of the state telecom agency. Two mobile phone companies, Digicel and BeMobile, jumped into the market, and their networks have since expanded to cover 75 per cent of the nearly 7 million population. Advertisement: Story continues below One study a year ago put mobile phone penetration at 48 per cent of the population. Sarah Logan, at the Australian National University, ci

On the Kokoda Track, about the point where General Tomitaro Horii's invasion force was halted in September 1942 in sight of the Coral Sea, a mobile phone will now pick up the signal from the Port Moresby network. As Papua New Guinea starts voting today in its national elections, after much worry about whether they would be held within the constitutional timeframe or even run in a meaningful way, many political players and analysts are watching to see how the mobile phone is changing the game. The last elections took place in 2007, the same year the government deregulated telecommunications and removed the monopoly of the state telecom agency. Two mobile phone companies, Digicel and BeMobile, jumped into the market, and their networks have since expanded to cover 75 per cent of the nearly 7 million population. Advertisement: Story continues below One study a year ago put mobile phone penetration at 48 per cent of the population. Sarah Logan, at the Australian National University,

By HENRY LUBANG MONEY has always been a part of politics – but it should not be a determining factor in the outcome of elections. Hence, in campaign financing, it is a critical or an important precept of elections that must not be taken lightly, especially in Papua New Guinea. In this article, we look at the disparity between incumbent members of parliament and non-incumbent candidates, in essence affects the campaigning process. Among a number of plausible reasons, the incumbent MPs have the advantage of already having access to government development funds at their disposal. This then places them ahead of the competitors when it comes to voter appeal and thus putting non-incumbents in a less desirable position. By the nature of a democracy like ours, incumbent MPs are given access to resources and they are well placed to capitalise on the decision-making processes of the government machinery compared to challengers. If MPs are able to use their political influence to remain in power

By HENRY LUBANG MONEY has always been a part of politics – but it should not be a determining factor in the outcome of elections. Hence, in campaign financing, it is a critical or an important precept of elections that must not be taken lightly, especially in Papua New Guinea. In this article, we look at the disparity between incumbent members of parliament and non-incumbent candidates, in essence affects the campaigning process. Among a number of plausible reasons, the incumbent MPs have the advantage of already having access to government development funds at their disposal. This then places them ahead of the competitors when it comes to voter appeal and thus putting non-incumbents in a less desirable position. By the nature of a democracy like ours, incumbent MPs are given access to resources and they are well placed to capitalise on the decision-making processes of the government machinery compared to challengers. If MPs are able to use their political influence to rema

The two-week voting period got underway over the weekend in the volatile highlands region but there were delays in setting up polling booths. Electoral observers say ballot boxes in at least three locations in Hela province have been destroyed. In at least two locations, polling boxes were hijacked by supporters of particular candidates and held for several hours, before being returned stuffed with completed ballot papers. Observers also say they have seen children casting votes and that the use of indelible ink to mark voters has been patchy at best. Andrew Alphonse, a local journalist from Tari, in Hela province, says it is a joke. "People could not vote and then there are other supporters coming in for other candidates and then they are just causing the problem, they are trying to fight," he told AM. "I've been here, I've seen elections here. The election this year is not very good, it has been not planned well." The electoral commission says it is the mo

The two-week voting period got underway over the weekend in the volatile highlands region but there were delays in setting up polling booths. Electoral observers say ballot boxes in at least three locations in Hela province have been destroyed. In at least two locations, polling boxes were hijacked by supporters of particular candidates and held for several hours, before being returned stuffed with completed ballot papers. Observers also say they have seen children casting votes and that the use of indelible ink to mark voters has been patchy at best. Andrew Alphonse, a local journalist from Tari, in Hela province, says it is a joke. "People could not vote and then there are other supporters coming in for other candidates and then they are just causing the problem, they are trying to fight," he told AM. "I've been here, I've seen elections here. The election this year is not very good, it has been not planned well." The electoral commission says it is the mo

Jame Marabe, on the far left with Don Polye Hela Province was the center of all attention yesterday when polling was extended for another day and will continue today, reports on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter does not paint a good picture to what was a highly anticipated election. It is now become something of a trend when many of the polling areas started very late, some areas started polling at 12:00pm when it should have started at least around 8am. In some cases all people had to do was to wait, and wait they did,  they had to wait for either the polling officials, or the security personnel and a majority had to wait for the ballot papers to turn up. Polling was extended to give time to people who turned up to finish casting their votes, while other provinces reported a normal process. There are reports also that 5 ballot boxes for the Tari Pori electorate were destroyed and over 10 ballot boxes were filled in by bribed/crony policemen and polling officials of James M

Jame Marabe, on the far left with Don Polye Hela Province was the center of all attention yesterday when polling was extended for another day and will continue today, reports on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter does not paint a good picture to what was a highly anticipated election. It is now become something of a trend when many of the polling areas started very late, some areas started polling at 12:00pm when it should have started at least around 8am. In some cases all people had to do was to wait, and wait they did,  they had to wait for either the polling officials, or the security personnel and a majority had to wait for the ballot papers to turn up. Polling was extended to give time to people who turned up to finish casting their votes, while other provinces reported a normal process. There are reports also that 5 ballot boxes for the Tari Pori electorate were destroyed and over 10 ballot boxes were filled in by bribed/crony policemen and polling officials

We are the people of a free nation of blokes, sheilas and the occasional wanker. We come from many lands (although a few too many of us come from New Zealand ), and although we live in the best country in the world, we reserve the right to bitch and moan about it whenever we bloody like. We are One Nation but divided into many States. First, there's Victoria , named after a queen who didn't believe in lesbians. Victoria is the realm of Mossimo turtlenecks, cafe latte, grand final day, and big horse races. Its capital is Melbourne , whose chief marketing pitch is that "it's liveable". At least that's what they think. The rest of us think it is too bloody cold and wet. Next, there's NSW, the realm of pastel shorts, macchiato with sugar, thin books read quickly and millions of dancing queens. Its capital Sydney has more queens than any other city in the world and is proud of it. Its mascots are Bondi lifesavers that pull their Speedos up their cracks to keep

We are the people of a free nation of blokes, sheilas and the occasional wanker. We come from many lands (although a few too many of us come from New Zealand ), and although we live in the best country in the world, we reserve the right to bitch and moan about it whenever we bloody like. We are One Nation but divided into many States. First, there's Victoria , named after a queen who didn't believe in lesbians. Victoria is the realm of Mossimo turtlenecks, cafe latte, grand final day, and big horse races. Its capital is Melbourne , whose chief marketing pitch is that "it's liveable". At least that's what they think. The rest of us think it is too bloody cold and wet. Next, there's NSW, the realm of pastel shorts, macchiato with sugar, thin books read quickly and millions of dancing queens. Its capital Sydney has more queens than any other city in the world and is proud of it. Its mascots are Bondi lifesavers that pull their Speedos up their cracks to keep

PAPUA New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill and his deputy, Belden Namah, have instructed their foreign affairs and immigration departments to withdraw the citizenship granted last week to fugitive Indonesian tycoon Joko Tjandra. But Foreign Minister Ano Pala has defended granting the citizenship - providing PNG with another controversy before voting in the five-yearly national election starts tomorrow. Joko, 61, fled from Jakarta by private jet in June 2009, shortly before he was convicted by the Indonesian Supreme Court of fraud, sentenced to two years' imprisonment, and ordered to repay $57 million he had obtained illegally. Since then, Joko has spread his time between Singapore, Malaysia and PNG. The PNG constitution requires new citizens to have lived in the country for eight years, to be of good character, and to speak a local language. Joko is on Interpol's wanted list, and the Indonesian government has told PNG of its concerns on the issue. Mr O'Neill said he

PAPUA New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill and his deputy, Belden Namah, have instructed their foreign affairs and immigration departments to withdraw the citizenship granted last week to fugitive Indonesian tycoon Joko Tjandra. But Foreign Minister Ano Pala has defended granting the citizenship - providing PNG with another controversy before voting in the five-yearly national election starts tomorrow. Joko, 61, fled from Jakarta by private jet in June 2009, shortly before he was convicted by the Indonesian Supreme Court of fraud, sentenced to two years' imprisonment, and ordered to repay $57 million he had obtained illegally. Since then, Joko has spread his time between Singapore, Malaysia and PNG. The PNG constitution requires new citizens to have lived in the country for eight years, to be of good character, and to speak a local language. Joko is on Interpol's wanted list, and the Indonesian government has told PNG of its concerns on the issue. Mr O

Election observers say Papua New Guinea must dedicate itself to a violence-free election over the next two weeks, after a year of unpredictable political upheaval. The head of a group of eight election observers who will travel throughout PNG from Saturday, former Vanuatu prime minister Edward Natapei, says his team will keep a close eye on the voting, counting and results. "For Papua New Guinea, the conduct of credible elections is vital and has become even more critical to the country's future following the constitutional crisis and political uncertainty of recent months," he told reporters in Port Moresby. "These elections are critically important for the people of PNG as they elect their leaders and it is imperative that the electoral process is transparent, fair, credible and free of violence." The 2012 poll will be PNG's eighth since it gained independence from Australia in 1975. Citing the potential for electoral fraud, parliament voted in April to su

Election observers say Papua New Guinea must dedicate itself to a violence-free election over the next two weeks, after a year of unpredictable political upheaval. The head of a group of eight election observers who will travel throughout PNG from Saturday, former Vanuatu prime minister Edward Natapei, says his team will keep a close eye on the voting, counting and results. "For Papua New Guinea, the conduct of credible elections is vital and has become even more critical to the country's future following the constitutional crisis and political uncertainty of recent months," he told reporters in Port Moresby. "These elections are critically important for the people of PNG as they elect their leaders and it is imperative that the electoral process is transparent, fair, credible and free of violence." The 2012 poll will be PNG's eighth since it gained independence from Australia in 1975. Citing the potential for electoral fraud, parliament voted in April to su

There is a huge amount of money at stake for those who win the big prize of becoming MP because of all the LNG wealth likely to flow into the government treasury. More pressure than ever to find guaranteed ways to win the election. Here is what is already being planned by CERTAIN main political parties fighting to keep power. They all have a carefully mapped out strategy and it will be between them alone who will win this election. Some or if not, many of the followings have already happened and will happen this election. 1. Common roll update corruption is now finished. Those conducting the common roll updates have been bribed all over the country to make sure that the names of people in a particular electorate were either inflated or (in the case of areas with opposing candidates) were deflated. 2. Printing of common rolls: Bribery has also been widespread at this juncture to make sure the false figures actually get printed. 3. For the last month and more, the known election officers

There is a huge amount of money at stake for those who win the big prize of becoming MP because of all the LNG wealth likely to flow into the government treasury. More pressure than ever to find guaranteed ways to win the election. Here is what is already being planned by CERTAIN main political parties fighting to keep power. They all have a carefully mapped out strategy and it will be between them alone who will win this election. Some or if not, many of the followings have already happened and will happen this election. 1. Common roll update corruption is now finished. Those conducting the common roll updates have been bribed all over the country to make sure that the names of people in a particular electorate were either inflated or (in the case of areas with opposing candidates) were deflated. 2. Printing of common rolls: Bribery has also been widespread at this juncture to make sure the false figures actually get printed. 3. For the last month and more, the known election offic