18/07/2012 21:33

 

 

 

MEDIA RELEASE

For some candidates its a great relief that its over, however concerns have been raised that the 2012 general election was not safe, free and fair.

Kenn Mondiai, the former chairman of NGO PNG Ecoforestry Forum, who contested the Daulo Open seat under the banner of the Social Democratic Party raised the following concerns: 

• No common roll was used for voters, people were told to line-up and cast their votes and some were allegedly below 18 years of age.
• The number of ballot papers for Kenangi Bridge Market for his Kipiyufa Clan of 628 was allegedly 200 more then the actual number of people in the village.
• Many elderly people and people with disabilities were allegedly not allowed to vote by supporters of a particular candidate.
• Voters from Chuave in Simbu province (who voted a day earlier) allegedly came in three (3) truckloads to cast votes in the Eastern Highlands province, this was allegedly organised by a candidate.
• Alleged threats and intimidation by the candidate's relatives made voters scared.
• Supporters of a candidate lined up at the entrance of a polling area and controlled the entry of other candidates' voters thus resulting in fear and many voters not voting freely or staying away.
• Relatives, sons, daughters and brothers and sisters of the candidate were allegedly involved in multiple voting despite the delible ink being painted on their fingers - only three (3) policemen were assigned to the Kenangi Bridge Market polling station.
• The presiding officer may allegedly have a conflict of interest with a candidate as his wife is related to the candidate's cousin brother's wife.

At about 7.30 am on polling day Wednesday 11 July 2012, Kenn Mondiai seeing three truckloads of people from Chuave, Simbu province transported to the polling area, reported via mobile phone and text message to the returning officer for Daulo Hoken Amere for more police assistance, but it fell on deaf ears and got no response.

Also at another polling station at Ronu within the Ona Keto Community School Ground 2, candidates entered the polling booth whilst polling was going on and made public speeches. The presiding officer and policemen did not stop them despite it being illegal for candidates to enter a polling area while polling is in progress.

I have video and photographic evidence of all the above mentioned, which I was going to present to the election manager in Goroka and the Daulo returning officer in a report after verifying my srutineers' reports from the polling stations.

On Thursday 12 July 2012, I travelled down to Lae with my two brothers to see off my who was to fly back to Port Moresby. The candidate and his supporters rang me and my wife and threatened to harm members of my family back in the village and burn my house and the office of Ona Keto People's Foundation (a community based organisation). We abandoned plans for my wife to fly to Port Moresby and returned in the night back to Goroka and my village.

The returning officer for Daulo, the Eastern Highlands provincial election team and security personnel should be held responsible for all the hijacking and election failure in Daulo and the Electoral Commission for the failure in the rest of the country. I am saying that the election in Daulo failed.

Although I have very strong evidence on video and photographs to dispute Box # 3 for Daulo, I am not going to risk harm being done to my family and properties and assets going up in flames. But whoever candidate from Daulo wants the evidence to lodge a dispute are free to request for the evidence that I have compiled in the form of a report.

It is important to tell the people of Daulo, Eastern Highlands province, PNG and the world that the 2012 general election in PNG failed terribly, and the electoral commissioner failed in his constitutional duties - he should resign now even before the return of writs and the formation of a new government.

All these issues and problems faced in all electorates would not have happened if Prime Minister Peter O'Neill and Electoral Commissioner Andrew Trawen listened to the Deputy Prime Minister Belden Namah for the elections to be deferred by 6 months inorder to correct all the outstanding issues.