Look how southern highlanders govern themselves! A complete mess!!!!!!!!!

Post courier News


Friday 23rd December, 2011

Electoral office in shambles

By TRAVERTZ MABONE

THE Southern Highlands Electoral office has been dubbed as being in shambles with the electoral update allegedly being misled with figures being flawed.

This was revealed by the provincial electoral co-ordinator Jeffery Kobol yesterday who released some upsetting figures that were allegedly falsified by the Southern Highlands province electoral manger Johnson Levi.

Mr Kobol revealed some figures that taint the electoral roll update exercise stating that more than 80,000 people in the Southern Highlands excluding Hela missed out on being enrolled in the current electoral update.

He said that some districts and local level government areas recorded a shortfall of updates while others were exaggerated with increased figures that do not correspond to the expected numbers of eligible voters.

His concerns are directed to the Electoral Commission of Papua New Guinea to vigorously look into the alleged upset that the current provincial electoral manager has indulged into.

With data collected from various LLG’s Mr Kobol made his justification revealing that Kagua Erave had about 15,000 eligible voters missed out, 16,000 from Ialibu Pangia, 11,000 from Imbongu, 32,000 from Nipa Kutubu and 28, 000 from Mendi Munhiu.

Areas that were inflated with eligible voter numbers include the upper Mendi LLG, parts of Imbongu and Nembi plateau.

Mr Kobol is urging the Electoral Commission to conduct fresh electoral update exercises due to his tabled data so to avoid anything such as failed elections in the province next year.
He has also called upon Mr Levi to step down as he feels that Mr Levi is not capable of filling such huge shoes.

Mr Kobol also claimed that the K900,000 set to conduct the update in the province was allegedly misused and has questioned where the money was spent, claiming that many of the electoral officers in the province have yet to be paid their dues for conducting each of the electoral exercises.

The electoral office in Mendi was abruptly closed on Wednesday allegedly due to the issues raised by Mr Kobol.

He is appealing to the people of Southern Highlands to refrain from shutting down the public office and has urged them to await proper procedures to take precedence to resolve the matter.