Robert@PNG

The folk of the Eastern Highlands finally got there chance today to cast
their votes and elect new political leaders for the next 5 years. Politics
in PNG is messy to say the least and if the whole election thing was a big
circus then the voting itself would be the Main Event.

Counting booth for Daulo Open…

At a level I feel sorry for the PNG folk, once every five years they are
filled with hope that their next round of leaders might make a difference
and actually care. The shenanigans that go on are unbelievable, an absolute
and undisputed demonstration of ignorance, immaturity and downright greed.
It's not just the politicians; it's the folks as well. The cash hand-outs
that I witnessed at polling booths today are proof to this.

Having said that and to be fair on the local folks, the transition from a
tribal society to a modern nation is happening at a rate of knots beyond
belief. Within a couple of generations to have a totally foreign system of
governance thrust upon them, namely the Westminster system, is asking for
trouble. PNG as a nation and as a people are confused, desperate and without
a leadership as a beacon or guiding force. This state of transition from old
to new and the chaos that follows is convenient to a few that have cottoned
on to the rules of the new game. So long as chaos reigns the country remains
open and vulnerable to rape and pillage.

My day started out at the Polling Booth located in what is commonly known as
“Rotary Park”. Our Rotary Club had decided a couple of weeks ago to take
advantage of Voting Day and put on a BBQ to raise some desperately needed
club funds. By 11:30am we had sold over 300 sausage sandwiches (with tomato
sauce) for which we stand to make around K300 profit for the clubs coffers.
I reckon if we had more stock we could have sold maybe 1000 sausage
sandwiches by close of polling later in the afternoon. We will have another
shot at the BBQ thing during the Goroka Show middle September.

At around noon I headed home and did some work on the laptop. And at around
4:30pm I heard some shots - about 8 in quick succession. They sure sounded
awfully close. I ran outside and saw some folk running away from another
polling booth located just out the front of National Sports Institute (NSI),
as things settled down I decided to head back inside to continue tapping
away at the keyboard some more. After 10 minutes or so… bang, bang, bang -
another round of shots - this time around a dozen or so. I couldn't help
myself, so with camera in hand and bilum, I raced down to NSI to check out
the action (free entertainment), hoping to get the photo of the century.

By the time I got there, things had started to settle although I did manage
to see little holes in the dirt where police had fired into the ground.
Apparently it's common practice around these parts for the police to fire
shots to disperse the crowds that have not yet had a chance to cast their
votes. One of the bummers of one day polling is that many people whom are on
the role actually miss out on their democratic right. For example in Morobe
where there are 60,000 registered voters only 23,000 had time to cast their
ballots, time had basically run out. Election Officials the next day were
quoted as saying that 23,000 out of 60,000 are sufficient numbers to
determine a fair winner. Garbage, garbage and more garbage!!! This situation
where folk are missing out on voting due to the one day rule is absurd and
totally undemocratic.

For all my PNG 2007 Election related photos please check out the “PNG Elections 2007“
photo album.

More free entertainment to follow. Apparently things really start to heat up
between now and the a couple of weeks after winners are declared.

Anything for a weird life!!