TIPNG: Meddling of OLIPPAC worrying

Caption: TIPNG Chairman Lawrence Stevens

By MATTHEW VARI

Wednesday, July 30, 2014 (Midweek Chronicle, PNG)

TRANSPERANCY International PNG (TIPNG) has raised its grave concern on the proposed amendments to the Organic Law on the Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates, last week at a consultation question and answer session held in Port Moresby.

Chairman of Transparency International PNG Lawrence Stevens expressed his concerns to the Registrar of Political Parties and Candidates Dr Alphonse Gelu, who outlined the proposed amendments.

Mr Stevens asked why there was so much focus on strengthening political parties when they should be themselves.

“They should be strengthening themselves and not under the direction of some government body- they should be allowed to do that themselves,” Stevens pointed out.

“To force these people to go into some sort of an alliance with others appears to be undemocratic.”

“To have a government institution forcing people to go into political parties because we have decided parties are a good idea, I think is somehow undemocratic.”

He also made specific reference to the much talked about section 145 on the motions of no confidence, which he said new changes went against the whole concept of the no confidence vote.

“Listening to suggestion of the change to the vote of no confidence arrangement- the meddling with that provision has had me worried ever since it started,” he said.

“To suggest that when parliament does decide that it has lost confidence in a particular leader and that the next leader should come from the organization that that leader is sitting in seems to go against the whole concept of the vote of no confidence.”

“The vote of no confidence is not just in the occupant of the chair- it is in the occupant and the people that person leads.

Stevens said that there were many things of concern with the changes to OLIPPAC, adding that things as serious and important as the organic law should not be pushed through quickly.

“Discussions with the community should be based on presenting to us questions that need answering, and asking community what their views are on those sections,” Stevens pointed out.

“Parliament is not made up of parties, but of individuals and it is those representative who should have the power to make decisions on how they vote, as to who they support and what policies they agree or disagree and it should not be elected on somebody outside deciding that they should be in a political party and follow the rules for that party.”

“Makes you wonder if we would do the same with churches, instructing people, if  say you’re a member of a church you have to follow the rules of that church and you have some government body giving those instructions from outside.”