By PEARSON KOLO
PEOPLE in many districts throughout the country are not fully aware of the election process and this is a serious issue as it affects the kind of leaders they choose .
The people’s confused understanding of the election process was obvious in the Lumusa LLG in the Western Highlands last week when they voted following a process called ‘tanim teibol’.
In this process, the minority supporters of a candidate and the Assistant Returning Officer and the presiding officials all agreed and allowed the election officials to write down all the preferences in the ballot papers while they stood and watched.
This ‘tanim teibol’ process forcefully took away the right of the people to freely vote for whoever candidates they preferred.
Other illegal incidents observed during the polling in Lumusa included children under the age of 18 years — some as young as nine years old — voting while threats, intimidation and bribery was rampant. The Assistant Returning Officer for Lumusa LLG Tommy Peke who supervised and conducted the polling allowed these illegal processes to take place and did not do anything to stop it
When polling started last week Monday, the voters of Epilisen Ambankausa, Ward 24, Box No. 024 told the election officials to write all the first preference votes for the current Lumusa LLG president and distribute the second and third preference votes to all the 15 candidates who contested for the Lumusa LLG presidential seat.
This raised doubts among the candidates who questioned the ARO and the election officials on the legality of them writing down the votes while the people just stood and watched.
Candidates Ekip Minakasa, Aleke Lakapuwa and Paul Barlus Warte argued without success while the election officials wrote down all the votes in the ballot papers.
“This process is totally against the law and we do not know why the ARO and the presiding officials are allowing this to happen. “Why did they not allow the people to exercise their right to vote?” the candidates questioned. The council wards that followed the ‘tanim teibol’ in the Lumusa LLG were Epilesen AmbanKausa Ward 24 Box No. 024; Independent Ward 25 and Box No. 025; Yuwai Mapogani council ward and Kakemali ward 19 Box No. 019. Candidates running for the Lumusa LLG presidential seat have called on the Western Highlands Election Manager Philip Telape and the Electoral commission to declare the above boxes informal and count the rest. Mr Telape recently called on the people of WHP and the contesting candidates and the elections official to conduct the LLG elections following due process and not to take away the rights of the people to freely vote and elect their leaders.
Voting is still continuing in Lumusa and is expected to end on Wednesday and counting for the Lumusa and Baiyer LLGs will be conducted at Baiyer Police outpost.
PEOPLE in many districts throughout the country are not fully aware of the election process and this is a serious issue as it affects the kind of leaders they choose .
The people’s confused understanding of the election process was obvious in the Lumusa LLG in the Western Highlands last week when they voted following a process called ‘tanim teibol’.
In this process, the minority supporters of a candidate and the Assistant Returning Officer and the presiding officials all agreed and allowed the election officials to write down all the preferences in the ballot papers while they stood and watched.
This ‘tanim teibol’ process forcefully took away the right of the people to freely vote for whoever candidates they preferred.
Other illegal incidents observed during the polling in Lumusa included children under the age of 18 years — some as young as nine years old — voting while threats, intimidation and bribery was rampant. The Assistant Returning Officer for Lumusa LLG Tommy Peke who supervised and conducted the polling allowed these illegal processes to take place and did not do anything to stop it
When polling started last week Monday, the voters of Epilisen Ambankausa, Ward 24, Box No. 024 told the election officials to write all the first preference votes for the current Lumusa LLG president and distribute the second and third preference votes to all the 15 candidates who contested for the Lumusa LLG presidential seat.
This raised doubts among the candidates who questioned the ARO and the election officials on the legality of them writing down the votes while the people just stood and watched.
Candidates Ekip Minakasa, Aleke Lakapuwa and Paul Barlus Warte argued without success while the election officials wrote down all the votes in the ballot papers.
“This process is totally against the law and we do not know why the ARO and the presiding officials are allowing this to happen. “Why did they not allow the people to exercise their right to vote?” the candidates questioned. The council wards that followed the ‘tanim teibol’ in the Lumusa LLG were Epilesen AmbanKausa Ward 24 Box No. 024; Independent Ward 25 and Box No. 025; Yuwai Mapogani council ward and Kakemali ward 19 Box No. 019. Candidates running for the Lumusa LLG presidential seat have called on the Western Highlands Election Manager Philip Telape and the Electoral commission to declare the above boxes informal and count the rest. Mr Telape recently called on the people of WHP and the contesting candidates and the elections official to conduct the LLG elections following due process and not to take away the rights of the people to freely vote and elect their leaders.
Voting is still continuing in Lumusa and is expected to end on Wednesday and counting for the Lumusa and Baiyer LLGs will be conducted at Baiyer Police outpost.
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