Handful of parties face deregistration

Caption:  Acting Deputy Registrar John Bishop

By MATTHEW VARI

Wednesday, October 8, 2014 (Midweek Chronicle, PNG)

ACTING Deputy Registrar of the Registry of Political Parties and Candidates John Bishop clarified on the plans raised by the Registrar Dr Alphonse Gelu on moves to deregister parties who have not complied with submitting annual financial returns to the registry.

Mr Bishop could not disclose the actual parties to be deregistered following set processes, however, indicated that a total of six to seven parties could face the axe.

“I cannot disclose the exact parties however there are 6 or seven parties that fall into the category at the moment,” Bishop said.

“We are still trying to check our records whether they did have some form of explanations or not.”

“The requirement is that yes if you do not hand in your financial returns for two consecutive years then the commission will consider deregistering you.”

He added that the deregistering process was not an automatic action- adding that through the process they will clarify and verify why they failed to hand in their acquittals.

“If they fail to meet us and do that then we will deregister them, because we have done that previously for a total of 22 political parties previously for non-compliance in terms of annual returns,” he said.

“Basically smaller parties that do not have representatives in parliament, they do not have the financial capacity to maintain themselves, and that is why we are now really into strengthening smaller political parties in the new revised OLIPPAC so that they have membership on the political floor.”

When asked on the future of such parties that we deregistered, Mr Bishop said that the decision would render them non-existent as political parties in the future.

“If you are deregistered then you are deregistered for good- we will not register you again in terms of the name, officials cannot be a part of other parties and register new parties for three years,” he said.

“Upon deregistration you cannot go and join another existing political party, or we cannot register the same political party.”

He added that under the revised Organic Law the registry would by strict on compliance issues, and there will not be any mercy.