Kandep by-election in Southern Highlands Province

Electoral Commissioner Andrew Trawen today announced that he has decided to delay the by-election for the Kandep Open seat by one week.

“The tentative election dates approved by the Governor General which I announced in Mt Hagen two weeks ago are still tentative as such until we (Electoral Commission) are satisfied that all arrangements for the by-election are in order,” Mr. Trawen said.

He says these arrangements include the release of K4.5 million funding by the Treasury department, gazettal of the appointment of three Electoral Commission officials tasked to run the by-election and the movement of necessary logistics such as ballot boxes and ballot papers to Kandep District.

Other arrangements, the Electoral Commission says, need to be in place are the movement of electoral officers who will conduct polling and counting to Kandep and security personnel arrangements to be put in place by the Police Commissioner, Mr. Gari Baki.

Mr. Trawen says until the Commission is satisfied that all these arrangements are in place, the Kandep by-election will proceed. He added that the delay will also allow the Electoral Commission to know the result of the notice of withdrawal of the Supreme Court review application filed by ousted member Don Polye’s lawyers which is scheduled for hearing on Thursday 10 September.

Mr. Trawen says the Electoral Commission has the duty and responsibility under the Constitution to conduct national elections and by-elections in PNG in accordance with the Organic Law on National and Local-level Government Elections.

Section 74 of the Organic Law on National and Local Level Government Elections clearly states that in case of a by-election, the Head of State acting with and in accordance with the advice of the Electoral Commission, shall as soon as practicable after the vacancy occurs, issue his writ for the election of a new member. The revised program for the Kandep Open seat by-election to be sanctioned by Government House is:

Issue of Writs: Thursday 17th September, 2009 (4:00 pm)

Nomination Closes: Wednesday 23rd September, 2009 (4:00 pm)

Polling Starts: Monday 16th November, 2009

Polling Ends: Friday 20th November, 2009

Return of Writs on or before: Friday 11th December, 2009

Meanwhile, Mr. Trawen has brushed aside comments by one David Ulg Ketepa in last Thursday’s Post-Courier newspaper viewpoint on the Kandep by-election branding them as mere “false impressions” by an ignorant person who is not up to date with laws and events.

“I did not announce the dates for the Kandep by-election within days…I did so after almost two weeks and after studying the National Court’s decision,” Mr. Trawen said.

Mr. Ketepa claims that the Kandep by-election would set a precedent as the dates were announced within days after the court of disputed returns nullified Mr. Polye’s 2007 election win.

On the Madang and Western Highlands Provincial seats, Commissioner Trawen has already explained that the matters were still before courts and it would be contempt if the Commission went ahead and announced the dates for by-elections.

Mr. Trawen says he is concerned that people do not understand the legal issues and implications concerning court-ordered by-elections, yet they make unsubstantiated media statements that serve no purpose but only cause more confusion.

APPROVED FOR RELEASE

ANDREW S. TRAWEN, CMG, MBE

ELECTORAL COMMISSIONER

06 TH OCTOBER, 2009

*** Mr. Trawen didn't address the questions I raised in my letter. The Western Highlands and Madang Regional seats were declared null and void. Why is it taking too long for by-elections for these seats? It seems to me that Mr. Trawen is a puppet dancing to the tunes played by the National Alliance led government.

If we don't see these regional seats in a by-election soon, we would confirm that Mr. Trawen is not only a puppet but rather a window-dresser at the Electoral Commission office. Mr. Trawen's reactions imply that so long as the National Alliance led regime is at the helm, they can manipulate the laws of Papua New Guinea to suit their hidden agendas.

Is that the scenario you're trying to show the six million people of Papua New Guinea?

The Parliamentary Committee Inquiry into Asian riots in Papua New Guinea

If there is a moment in Papua New Guinea’s history that we can capitalize to completely weed out all the illicit crimes and Mafia rings, it is today. NOW! I read a well-versed article by Dr. Sullivan in the papers about people of Asian ethnicity in Papua New Guinea and their activities. Some of these activities reported by Dr. Sullivan and the recent riots are just a tip of an iceberg to the whole systematic corruption in Papua New Guinea.

It may sound absurd implicating some multinational corporations in Papua New Guinea but it is the truth and they are not acting alone. They (foreign firms and individuals) collaborate swiftly with national leaders and government bureaucrats and public institutions to covert their operations. The Parliamentary Committee Inquiry into the Anti-Asian riots have just revealed some staggering corrupt practices in Papua New Guinea involving government officials and ordinary citizens.

Evidently, the Asians are not alone in all these illicit activities. Drug and human trafficking including money laundering in Papua New Guinea includes other Pacific Island States have their safe havens on the streets and at high offices in Waigani. The so-called leaders who swore to uphold our constitution are the worse perpetrators of these crimes, however; their involvement is too official to be tagged illegal.

Given the vulnerability of our Police force fueled by corruption in the department and deteriorating living standards, which already demoralized the Papua New Guinea police personnel, we cannot allow these illegal activities to continue to plunder our resources and make Papua New Guineans mere spectators on their own land. A few Papua New Guineans and Asian racketeering activities only expose us (PNG) to more manipulation and control by the few who have evil agendas.

All thinking Papua New Guineans must take responsibility of what is ours and formulate mechanisms to solve our own problems in our own ways. Keeping Papua New Guinea safe from outside intruders is every citizen's responsibility and not just a few individuals and the police force. Some of these illegal practices are condone by the communities and the public at large, simply because it provides their basic daily needs.

Its true foreigners are the perpetrators but what are we doing to combat it? We all have a part to play in combating illicit crime in Papua New Guinea. How many more riots and scandals must be created before all relevant state agencies take appropriate action? While these controversies remain unresolved, this scandal-plagued government continues as if all is well. The Prime Minister must be held totally responsible for dragging the Papua New Guinea’s reputation down to its lowest form.

The Prime Minister must be made to answer for his actions and inaction. All members in government should pose serious questions as to why they should continue supporting a government that is tainted with scandals and draft new laws and add more teeth to existing immigration laws to prevent illegal entry into Papua New Guinea.Papua New Guinea’s law-enforcing agencies including the Police Force, Ombudsman Commission, Public Prosecutor and Judiciary are duty bound to perform their constitutionally mandated duties and responsibilities in Papua New Guinea’s national interest.

From my perspective, there will come a time when the people of Papua New Guinea will look back and see how Papua New Guinea was "sold out" by its own people.I'm not sure the Papua New Guinea Government can solve this (not the current one anyway) as they seem totally obsessed with "extraction" no matter what the costs. In fact our very own leaders invite the "extractors" into Papua New Guinea. And only a few benefit - least of all the majorities who live in the villages themselves.

Classic examples of lustful and cunning behaviors portrayed by many of our leaders are evident in numerous Memorandum of Agreement (MOA's) and Memorandum of Understanding (MOU's). All of these are farce and make a mockery of the rural folks where major resources are found only to be exploited by foreigners and leave them low and dry.For those who are at the helm by controlling the nation’s affairs and that of her six million people, one thing is for certain.

The office of the Prime Minister, the Government of Papua New Guinea, the National Parliament and the Constitution of Papua New Guinea belongs to the people of Papua New Guinea — not one individual, family, clan, ethnic group, business or group.I have been vocal on critical issues affecting Papua New Guinea using the editorial in the papers and I will reiterate that: "There was a time when the chiefs could be trusted but that time has long since gone". The sad thing (and my prediction)... in 2012 - we will see a different set of faces but exactly the same agendas. Future Papua New Guinea politicians are just waiting for their turn to get hold of the goose that laid the golden egg.

To my fellow, Papua New Guineans, whether you are a subsistence farmer, a fisherman, a Public Motor Vehicle operator, a local trader, a youth leader, a community leader, a policeman or woman, a soldier, a correctional officer, a teacher, a doctor or nurse, a lawyer, an academic, a simple public servant, a lay pastor or a dweller of the fringes of the cities, whoever you are, whatever you are.

Now is the time, a time for reckoning, a time for the suffering six million majority of Papua New Guineans to arise and challenge the plundering minorities who dwells at the dark corners at the expense of the disfranchised and the marginalized. We must all rise and rally behind our like minded Papua New Guineans and say: Enough is enough!

Act Together to Tackle Water Crisis, Faith Groups Urged

African Leaders Warned of Climate Change Impact

Africa's growing water crisis demands leadership and common action among faith groups, says Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko (left), general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF).

In his keynote address to religious leaders and other participants attending the Third Summit of the Inter-Faith Action for Peace in Africa (IFAPA), Noko emphasized that clean water was available to few Africans.

"Envisioning a Peaceful Africa: Water for All," is the theme of the 17-21 November summit in Botswana's capital, Gaborone. The first of its kind to include participation from government and business leaders, the conference is expected to harness future collaboration among stakeholders on peace and development in Africa and address climate change.

"There is an urgent need for the public sector to play an active role in the creation of awareness and education on the correct use of water. Water is a paramount issue. Conflict and peace both hang on this issue. None of the three categories of stakeholders convened in this summit - religious communities, governments and the private sector - can undertake their responsibilities without this essential commodity," said Noko, who is IFAPA's president.

Established in October 2002, the pan-African body focuses on active engagement of religious leaders in conflict resolution and peace building on the continent.

Building Block

Noko reminded the 70 delegates from various faiths and sectors of society about the central place of water in religious practice and belief. "Water is, first and foremost, a primary building block of life, which all religious traditions hold sacred."

He pointed out that "despite the growing water crisis in many parts of Africa, religious leaders and communities [...] appeared to lack awareness of the challenges associated with water resource management and ownership.

"Water certainly qualifies as a common problem in the African context, given the process of desertification in many areas, and the general lack of adequate water source infrastructure and management facilities throughout the continent," he said.

The LWF leader cautioned that the water crisis in Africa was worsening with growing population, increasing industrialization and particularly climate change, which experts predict will hit Africa hardest of all, exposing up to 250 million people to increased water stress and reducing rain-fed farm yields by up to 50 percent by 2020.

"The impact of climate change can also be seen already in the death of rivers in many places in Africa, with once important sources of water for communities and nations having vanished," said Noko.

Water - Our source of Life

The IFAPA summit will launch the Southern Africa Development Community "Mothers' Cry for a Healthy Africa Campaign," following a similar move in East Africa, to affirm women's critical role in issues that deal with peace and security. "In launching this campaign in this region, we are not simply re-stating the facts that make Africa unwell, but we want to do something to change the situation. And this campaign is not only by and for women, but by and for all daughters and sons of Africa," noted Noko.

While reminding delegates that conflicts remained a challenge to the continent’s stability and development, the IFAPA president emphasized that Africa’s future lies in its own hands. "We have always said that poverty in Africa is a contradiction because this continent is rich, very rich. The problem lies in realizing that we Africans have to take the lead in the management and distribution of this wealth for the good of our children and future generations," he added.
Botswana's Minister for Labor and Home Affairs Mr Peter Siele said his government continues to cooperate with faith-based organizations to find solutions to social problems facing the Southern African country.

"Through structures such as the interfaith dialogue in Botswana, religious and faith-based organizations can now speak with one voice and this will greatly facilitate cooperation and dialogue between the government and religious communities," he said.