Belden mounts charge as vote count goes 24/7
17 July 2012
KEITH JACKSON | Sources: RNZI / PNGEC
PAPUA NEW GUINEA’S Electoral Commission is conducting round-the-clock shifts to get vote counting for the general election complete by the end of next week.
And counting in Simbu and Eastern Highlands only started yesterday, with officials being trained at the last minute.
Three weeks of polling to choose a new 111-member parliament has now finished but counting is slow in many electorates and the PNGEC is struggling to meet the 26 July deadline.
“What’s happening in the Highlands is that they’re going to be working 24/7, they’re going to work the counting on shifts,” said RNZI correspondent Titi Gabi. “It’s going to be challenging but we have to meet that deadline.”
Meanwhile, the PNGEC website last night was declaring 14 candidates elected, with all major political parties represented in their number.
After days of trailing two independents, Belden Namah slipped into the lead yesterday as counting moved to ballot boxes from his strongholds in the West Sepik electorate of Vanimo-Green River.
With about 19,000 votes counted, he had a lead of 300 over independent Willie Inaru. PNG Greens candidate Dorothy Tekwie was a distant seventh.
Namah will need plenty of preferences but it seems he will be returned – and become an assertive challenger for the prime ministership.
Amongst the MPs already elected there are also prime ministerial aspirants Don Polye (Triumph Heritage Empowerment Party), Peter O’Neill (People’s National Congress) and possibly Paul Tiensten (People's United Assembly).
Other MPs declared elected last night were Sam Basil (PNG Party), Joel Sungi (National Alliance), Allan Marat (Melanesian Liberal Party), John Simon (National Alliance), James Marape (People’s National Congress), Charlie Benjamin (People’s National Congress), Paul Isikiel (People’s National Congress), Ronny Knight (New Generation Party), Julius Chan (People's Progress Party), Ben Micah (People's Progress Party) and Byron Chan (People’s Progress Party).
Bubbling under - on the verge of winning - are William Duma (United Resources Party), Michael Somare (National Alliance), Puka Temu (Our Development Party), Anderson Agiru (People's United Assembly), Philip Nai (Triumph Heritage Empowerment) and Charles Abel (People's National Congress).
State of the Parties (members elected & leading)
|
People’s National Congress – Peter O’Neill |
23 |
|
Triumph Heritage Empowerment Party – Don Polye |
13 |
|
PNG Party – Belden Namah |
8 |
|
National Alliance – Michael Somare |
8 |
|
United Resources Party – William Duma |
5 |
|
People’s Progress Party – Julius Chan |
5 |
|
Independents |
10 |
Trevor - I have this horrible feeling that the "Emperor of Imperial" Rome will buy the votes to become the next PM of PNG.
The major concern will his attire be Imperial Purple or Hawaiian Orange? Such a dilemma!
I find it rather strange that some PNG'ians are not commenting on this prospect - ex-colleagues from the miliary ranks as an example.
You have certainly made a good point. The end result of these elections will be of major concern to the people of PNG and other countries.
And now I wish people in PNG would stop blaming Australia for all this.
We did our best and expected better than what it now dished up. A total debacle of magnitude 9 on the Richter scale.
Posted by: Colin Huggins | 17 July 2012 at 05:55 PM
I spent two years teaching in Pagei now renamed Bewani, My school children would take me on excursions into the rainforest on weekends. We even walked from Pagei to Vanimo through the rainforest which took four days for the return journey.
So along with the patrol officers who opened up this area I am familiar with this area. It is a very sparsley poulated area with only a few villages. During my time there I would have visited them all.
For anyone to have made millions of dollars in the Vanimo Green river area would have to be suspicious.
The main concerns I have are:
1. Who gave the logging companies the right to log this pristine area and where did the millions of dollars go?
2.How is it that 139,509 hectares of customary land was taken from the villagers who did not give approval for this acquisition under the SBAL scheme.
3. How is it possible for Politicians to own secret bank accounts in American Samoa, Fiji, Hong Kong and Singapore and the big question WHY?
4.Why have the villagers been offered hospitals schools etc and the possibility of jobs on the illegally acquired Palm oil project? It certainly appears that none of these promises will be kept.
5. Its been claimed 20 politicians are being investigated by the Ombutsman Commission on instructions from the Task Force Sweep. Surely Belden Namah must be one of these politicians for he could not possibly have acquired such a fortune in this area legitimately.Why does he need secret bank accounts, and what is his involvment in the Bewani Oil palm fiasco?
6. Why has the company involved in the oil palm plantations ( which Belden has a large interest in) been given taxation exemption for the next ten years after all they would only be taxed on their profits?
Surely this tax money should be made available to the areas Local Governments who can improve the areas facilities.
7. Has Belden used some of his illgotten gains to buy votes in this extremely poor community who have seen their rainforest destroyed and don't seem to have gained anything except idle promises from all the activity going on?
Finally I hope that the Task Force Sweep does investigate Belden and he definitely should not be allowed to take part in the new Government until his name has been cleared. Any money that has been obtained illegally must be carefully returned to the Bewani People.
My comment about that infamous photo of Belden being carried on a chair is that Politicians are there to support and carry the people in their electorate not to be carried around by the people. Shame on you Belden.
Posted by: Trevor Freestone. | 17 July 2012 at 04:41 PM