PNGBLOGS

VANIMO-Green MP Belden Namah is furious after accusing brothers Arthur and Sana Somare of trying to board his private jet at Boram Airport, Wewak, East Sepik province. The aircraft had stopped over to refuel on its way back from Southern Highlands late on Wednesday. “It is an act of terrorism when they walked onto the tarmac of the airport and boarded my private plane without proper authorisation,” he said. Namah said what Arthur and Sana did was criminal in nature and they should be made to answer for what they did.The incident, however, could not be confirmed with airport authorities. The two Somare brothers could not also be reached for a comment. Namah denied a newspaper report that the plane was carrying ballot papers, ballot boxes and a huge sum of cash.“I do not go around carrying ballot papers or huge sums of cash in my plane,” he said. Namah’s national election coordinator Kotu Akema said he was still traumatised by the incident at the Boram Airport.Akema claimed that they wer

VANIMO-Green MP Belden Namah is furious after accusing brothers Arthur and Sana Somare of trying to board his private jet at Boram Airport, Wewak, East Sepik province. The aircraft had stopped over to refuel on its way back from Southern Highlands late on Wednesday. “It is an act of terrorism when they walked onto the tarmac of the airport and boarded my private plane without proper authorisation,” he said. Namah said what Arthur and Sana did was criminal in nature and they should be made to answer for what they did.The incident, however, could not be confirmed with airport authorities. The two Somare brothers could not also be reached for a comment. Namah denied a newspaper report that the plane was carrying ballot papers, ballot boxes and a huge sum of cash.“I do not go around carrying ballot papers or huge sums of cash in my plane,” he said. Namah’s national election coordinator Kotu Akema said he was still traumatised by the incident at the Boram Airport.Akema claimed that th

“Some of the benchmarks for democratic processes have been met, but several significant challenges remain to be addressed for the future.” The Commonwealth Observer Group has been present in Papua New Guinea since 16 June 2012. During this time we have met with a wide range of stakeholders, including the PNG Electoral Commission (PNGEC), the Integrity Commission, representatives of political parties, civil society, media, the international community, and other national and international observer groups. Commonwealth teams have observed voting in all four regions and 16 of PNG’s 22 provinces. Our teams were also able to observe some counting in four provinces and the National Capital District. While deployed, our observers met with electoral officials, police, candidates, scrutineers, and ordinary voters in order to build up a larger picture of the conduct of the electoral process. We are aware that due to the extended polling schedule, voting is yet to be completed in some provinces at

“Some of the benchmarks for democratic processes have been met, but several significant challenges remain to be addressed for the future.” The Commonwealth Observer Group has been present in Papua New Guinea since 16 June 2012. During this time we have met with a wide range of stakeholders, including the PNG Electoral Commission (PNGEC), the Integrity Commission, representatives of political parties, civil society, media, the international community, and other national and international observer groups. Commonwealth teams have observed voting in all four regions and 16 of PNG’s 22 provinces. Our teams were also able to observe some counting in four provinces and the National Capital District. While deployed, our observers met with electoral officials, police, candidates, scrutineers, and ordinary voters in order to build up a larger picture of the conduct of the electoral process. We are aware that due to the extended polling schedule, voting is yet to be completed in some provinc

The Speaker of Papua New Guinea's parliament, Jeffery Nape, has been arrested on bribery charges. Nape was arrested last Saturday on allegations of attempting to bribe a rival candidate to drop out of the 2012 election in his province of Chimbu. "Police have a constitutional duty to attend to complaints from citizens; in this case a candidate vying for Nape's Sinasina-Yongomugl seat laid a complaint with police," provincial police commander Augustine Wampe told The National Newspaper. Nape, who denied all charges, was released on 2000 kina ($963) bail and is expected to appear in court after the election. As Speaker he was instrumental in sowing the seeds of PNG's recent political crisis after he suddenly announced on August 2 last year the prime ministership was vacant. The decision to allow a vote ousted incumbent PM Sir Michael Somare and elevated his former treasurer Peter O'Neill to the job. Nape continued to preside over parliament but had a few more leg

The Speaker of Papua New Guinea's parliament, Jeffery Nape, has been arrested on bribery charges. Nape was arrested last Saturday on allegations of attempting to bribe a rival candidate to drop out of the 2012 election in his province of Chimbu. "Police have a constitutional duty to attend to complaints from citizens; in this case a candidate vying for Nape's Sinasina-Yongomugl seat laid a complaint with police," provincial police commander Augustine Wampe told The National Newspaper. Nape, who denied all charges, was released on 2000 kina ($963) bail and is expected to appear in court after the election. As Speaker he was instrumental in sowing the seeds of PNG's recent political crisis after he suddenly announced on August 2 last year the prime ministership was vacant. The decision to allow a vote ousted incumbent PM Sir Michael Somare and elevated his former treasurer Peter O'Neill to the job. Nape continued to preside over parliament but had

By MIKE HEAD A national election called by the unconstitutional, Australian-supported government in Papua New Guinea has become a shambles, forcing an unscheduled third week of polling in seven provinces. Voting in the Eastern Highlands province will now end on July 17—11 days after the original July 6 national deadline. Logistical breakdowns, combined with allegations of violence, corruption, vote-buying, ballot box-stuffing and the exclusion of enrolled citizens from voting, have thrown the elections into disarray. An extension of time was granted by Governor-General Sir Michael Ogio on the advice of Electoral Commissioner Andrew Trawen. The disruptions have cast doubt on the hopes of de facto Prime Minister Peter O’Neill, and his backers in Canberra and Washington, that the elections would end months of political instability, and provide a veneer of legitimacy to his administration. Because of the mountainous terrain and lack of infrastructure across the country, the elections were