SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS RAMPS UP ELECTION PREPARATIONS
BY JOSEPH REMA
PREPARATIONS for the upcoming election in Southern Highlands Province gathered pace on Monday as the Provincial Election Advisory Committee met with district chief executive officers (CEOs) in Imbonggu District to review the progress of key election activities.
The meeting, chaired by Provincial Administrator David Kelma, brought together Provincial Election Manager Grace Wong and CEOs from Imbonggu, Ialibu-Pangia, Mendi-Munihu and Nipa-Kutubu districts.
Kagua-Erave District was not represented due to the ongoing leadership stalemate following the absence of its Member for Parliament.
The committee reviewed five priority areas: the progress of the province-wide election awareness campaign, preparations for electoral roll updates, the establishment of the provincial data entry centre, counting venue arrangements, and election funding and payment updates.
Mrs Wong said the awareness campaign had made significant progress despite challenges posed by the El Niño weather conditions.
“Despite challenges such as the El Niño conditions, our people have recognised the importance of enrolling to vote. With the support of various media platforms, our awareness teams have reached almost 90 per cent of the population, including remote communities. We have travelled to border areas accessible by road, including Waro in Kutubu and Sembirigi communities in Kagua-Erave and Ialibu-Pangia. The awareness campaign is continuing,” she said.
Southern Highlands Senior LLG Manager Ronald Rambu raised concerns over eligible voters whose names were missing from the common roll after registration data was sent to Port Moresby for processing.
Mr Kelma acknowledged the concern and urged Mrs Wong to raise the issue with the relevant authorities to prevent similar omissions during the update process.
“Our awareness teams are working tirelessly to ensure every eligible citizen is enrolled.
However, when the data is processed in Port Moresby, many names are omitted from the final roll,” Mr Kelma said.
He said provincial officers involved in the awareness campaign should also be engaged in the data processing exercise to help minimise errors.
“We do not want the hard work carried out in the province to go to waste because eligible voters are left off the roll. This exercise reflects the responsibility entrusted to us, and we must ensure every eligible voter is captured,” he said.
Also attending the meeting were Deputy Administrator for Districts, LLGs and Law and Justice Dr Emmanuel Andrew, Deputy Administrator for Economic and Social Services Jerry James, Deputy Administrator for Corporate Services Kenneth Kelei, and LLG Adviser Brian Pim.
