Only two of Papua New Guinea’s general elections — in 1992 and 1997 — have had some semblance of credibility since the country’s independence in 1975, says a political analyst.

Speaking at a seminar in Port Moresby, Dr Joe Ketan, general manager of Divine University’s business and research arm Diwai Pacific Ltd, gave an overview of the country’s electoral governance, saying it was the worst when it comes to forming a new government.

“The country’s election processes are intact. However, the system is being hijacked,” he said.

• READ MORE: Other PNG election reports

“The state-owned enterprises are struggling, many essential services have collapsed, and the security agencies of Royal PNG Constabulary, PNG Defence Force, PNG Correctional Service and National Intelligence Organisation have all lost integrity with having lack of credibility in upcoming elections in June.

Dr Ketan, formerly head of the Department of PNG Studies and International Relations at DWU, said: “We have a terrible input process in the country [over] how we bring in our leaders into Parliament and the output is really bad.

“The security agencies lack discipline, have a low morality, and have issues with funding. While we look into the future, the government will repeat history.

Extra steps needed
“We need to take extra steps to ensure that the 2022 election is credible because with the last six terms of elections only two since independence have had some resemblance of credibility — in 1992 and 1997,” he said.

“In 2007 and 2012 it was equally bad with political instability between both former prime ministers Peter O’Neill and Sir Michael Somare.”

Institute of National Affairs executive director Paul Barker raised concerns about the common roll having not been updated from several years ago.

Barker said there was no proper data of eligible voters and current population and the government had done nothing about the issue.

Funding short by K362m
Meanwhile, Miriam Zarriga reports that with just nine days to go before the issue of 118 election writs on April 28, the government has yet to release K362 million (NZ$151 million) of the Electoral Commission’s K462 million (NZ$193 million) funding for the election costs.

Documents obtained by the Post-Courier show that the Department of Treasury has released a total of about K287.6 million ($120 million) to only seven agencies.

These payments are as follows;

– Electoral Commission: K100 million paid; K362 million outstanding;
– Police: K111 million paid; K43 million outstanding;
– PNG Defence Force: K50 million paid; K22.8 million outstanding;
– Correctional Service: K11.6 million paid; K42.4 million outstanding;
Other departments;
– National Broadcasting Corporation: K10 million;
– Department of Justice and Attorney General: K2.5 million; and,
– Ombudsman Commission: K2.5 million.

The National Intelligence Organisation (NIO), Registry of Political Parties, Office of Security Co-ordination and Assessment (OSCA) have yet to receive their funding.

Marjorie Finkeo is a PNG Post-Courier reporter. Republished with permission.

The French High Commissioner in New Caledonia, Patrice Faure, has confirmed the December 12 date for the independence referendum, fuelling tension over the ballot.

Kanaky New Caledonia’s pro-independence parties had called on Paris to postpone the vote to the second half of 2022 because of the impact of the covid-19 outbreak, which has claimed more than 270 lives, mostly Melanesian.

The pro-independence parties said they would not respect the result of the independence referendum if France retained December 12 as the date of the vote, reports RNZ Pacific.

• READ MORE: Other New Caledonia referendum reports

The parties said that with a Kanak population in mourning, the conditions were not conducive to run a proper referendum campaign.

However, the latest announcement by the French High Commissioner has been welcomed by the anti-independence parties.

The anti-independence camp want the December date to be maintained, saying that New Caledonia needs “clarity”.

Two previous referendums, in 2018 and 2020, were won narrowly by anti-independence supporters, but the pro-independence parties increased their vote and were gaining momentum before the covid-19 pandemic.

Social media threats
In a media release, Daniel Goa, president of the pro-independence Caledonian Union (UC), has condemned a campaign of “degagism” — a political “clean out” approach designed to manipulate the youth, reports The Nouvelles Calédoniennes.

The UC announced its support for the mayor of Poindimié and President of the Northern Province, Paul Néaoutyine, who had been the target of verbal attacks and threats.

Police a now investigating a video broadcast by the Facebook page ERSK TV which allegedly carried the threats.

The UC criticised the “discourse of degagism … taking hold in the country and in popular movements”.

It said the bad atmosphere risked creating a rift between the the youth and elders, “who remain the guarantors of our political and social struggle.”

Goa called called on citizens not to be “caught up” by “manipulative and deceptive” speeches seeking to create “instability”.

In this episode of A View from Afar, Paul Buchanan and Selwyn Manning are joined by David Robie to discuss how covid-19 has become a trigger of instability in the wider Pacific region.

Dr Robie is editor of AsiaPacificReport.nz and a specialist in Melanesian and Pacific affairs.

In this, the first of a two-part special, we analyse how covid-19 has been a trigger of instability across the Pacific region.

And specifically, for this episode, we deep dive into instability in Melanesia focusing on:

• Security issues in Papua New Guinea;
• Indonesia’s interests in dividing regional groups such as the Melanesian Spearhead; Group (MSG); and
• a security crisis that has developed in Fiji after the recent detention of nine politicians and activists who dared to criticise former military coup leader, Voreqe Bainimarama’s government.

• Follow A View From Afar at EveningReport.nz