Transcript
PATILIUS GAMATO: Firstly let me say that our roll is inflated. So, it was a problem that I incurred when I came in. It's a 2007 roll that was updated for 2012. We are updating that roll for the 2017 elections. Now we have had assistance from the Australian Electoral Commission, helping us to cleanse the roll. So that was done around the beginning of 2016. We had support from the Australian Electoral Commission to cleanse the roll. We cleansed about 109-thousand ghost names. But there are still some ghost names there. But we're still working on that. Now whilst having those ghost names and after the cleansing of the roll, we're updating the roll across the country. And as I'm speaking, most of our provinces have completed the fieldwork for the month of January, 2017. They are now entering that data from the claim for enrollment form. They're entering data at the provincial headquarters across the country. So after they enter the data, what will happen is for the month of February, we will publish the preliminary roll for people to come forward and check. So if they come and see that there is a relative who is dead but their name is still there, they will check it and flag it. So the election managers will then identify it and start cleansing that. But it's still part of the roll cleansing process during the roll updating exercise. I'm hoping to print the final roll by the end of March.
JOHNNY BLADES: One of the things the opposition MPs have been talking about, is the move to bring the campaign period from two months to one, which the government seems determined to do. They have to go through parliament of course. Is that all within the rules, and is it up to you about the (increase in the candidate's) fee anyway?
PG: Really the fee, yes... it's within the rules but basically it's for the parliament to debate and pass those two laws. Really what happened to start the process, I prepare a cabinet submission and it goes to cabinet, and cabinet sees the submission, and those are to change laws. Parliament is the final authority that can pass laws. So what opposition is saying, it has merit, but really it's a law that's going through parliament for amendment so they should debate that in parliament.
JB: Do you think these changes have merit? Are these changes stemming from your recommendation?
PG: Yeah there are some merits. But I'd rather leave it to parliament to debate the issue. I've mentioned some of the issues in relation to why the fee should be increased. But I don't want to debate it publicly. I've briefed the government and it's up to them to debate it in parliament.
JB: Is it the case that the Electoral Commission has been under-funded during these last few years to prepare for this poll?
PG: Yeah, for 2010, we started off with a budget of ten million kina to start the roll updating. Obviously that was insufficient. But in the course of the year, the government provided us additional funding. So last year they gave us some funding to be able to go out and do the roll updating across the country.
JB: Is it enough?
PG: No, not really... for the roll updating. But for the 2017 elections, the government has allocated a budget of 400 million kina. 121 million kina will go to the security, and 279 million kina will be for the operation of the election.
JB: And will there be help from Australia and New Zealand, with military logistics and getting the ballot and teams around the country over the two weeks (of polling) this time?
PG: Yes we are talking. In fact we're getting support from New Zealand and Australia. New Zealand basically in terms of our systems for the temporary election workers. Australia in terms of our training manuals; and the Australian civil corps have assisted us in developing a national logistics plan which will be launched this week by the chief secretary (to PNG's government). What we're going to do is share that with some of our embassies, especially Australia and New Zealand, our traditional partners. I've had discussions with officials from the Australian High Commission so we are hoping that we can can formally invite them to come and assist us in terms of logistics, yeah.
JB: It should be in June, shouldn't it, the actual polling weeks?
PG: Yes, that's right.
JB: It's not going to be changed, is it? People wouldn't want it to delayed.
PG: No, no, no. We have to conduct the election within the five year anniversary. So the timing is still OK, the reduction in the campaign period will not affect the dates which were originally set for the actual polling and the counting. So that still remains.
JB: Some people say the campaigning is already underway effectively...
PG: To do early campaigning is illegal. But people out there are already doing their campaigns and that's something that we cannot stop. That's beyond my control and it's not my responsibility to prosecute anybody who is doing early campaigning. What I'm saying is you can refer them to police and police will charge them criminally.
