The High Price of Democracy

No one takes their politics as seriously as the Highlander of Papua New Guinea. The current by-election for the Kandep District in the Enga Province is proving once again that clansmen will go to any lengths to ensure that their “man” gets elected.

In Papua New Guinea, political loyalty is based on blood ties and tribal bonds as opposed to the West where we generally give political support to a party and/or an ideology.  This might seem really odd to a person born and raised in a individualistic society (eg: Australia) but to a Melanesian (eg: Papua New Guinean) its 100% natural.

I find it somewhat puzzling that PNG chose to adopt a foreign model of governance when gaining Independence rather than adopting a political system more based on a melanesian way of doing things.

The following story as it appeared in today’s edition of The National:

Poll Ambush

by ZACHERY PER and JAMES APA GUMUNO

POLICE and Electoral Commission (EC) officials were trapped last Friday night in Kandep after armed villagers cut trees to block the highway to prevent them from moving ballot boxes out of the town.

There was a heavy exchange of gunfire as police stood their ground to protect and defend election officials and the ballot boxes containing the registered votes.

According to reports reaching The National from Kandep, all hell broke loose after the EC decided not to conduct polling in three polling areas, and to move the counting of votes from Kandep to Mt Hagen.

Fighting and the presence of gunmen had prevented helicopters from going into Tarapis, Muyan and Sawi 2 polling areas to conduct polling.

The situation became so bad that returning officer Poevare Tore made the decision to abandon polling in those areas.

He also made the decision to move counting of votes to Mt Hagen after counting and polling officials expressed grave fears about their safety.

Sources said after receiving reports that there were plans to destroy the ballot boxes, police and polling officials moved out of Kandep in a convoy of vehicles. But they drove straight into an ambush near the Kandep High School. Trees were felled and placed across the highway for about three kilometers.

The convoy then came under attack, and police returned fire.

“We came under attack, but the police stood their ground. We dug in and stayed up all night,” an official, who asked not to be named, said.

Police called for reinforcements, and on Saturday morning, helicopters brought in new supplies of ammunition, along with two chainsaws, which were used to cut the trees felled across the road and remove them… (continue reading)