Last minute registration a concern despite no deadline

By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday, November 20, 2016 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)

POLITICAL parties have no deadline to register themselves by law; however, they are prevented from fielding candidates after the issue of writs and during polling.

The issue of political parties being formed using a cowboy mentality has irked the registry of political parties, which says that individuals forming the organisation have no regard for such vital institutions that potentially determine the political environment of the country when poll results come through.

“One of the issues we have been talking about since 2012 is to get our political parties out into the rural areas for our people to know about them.”

“They must know their name, their leadership, and their policies. However, it is a concern for me at the registry that there are many groups that are appearing at the registry to registry their political parties.”

“You can just see the timing- we are just 5 to 6 months before the issue of writs. What time is there for these people to out and tell people about themselves?” The Registrar of Political Parties and Candidates, Dr Alphonse Gelu said.

He explained that it was not the registry’s business to curtail the rights of people to form political parties.

“The organic law does not give us any deadline. Even during the election if someone wants to register a political party please feel free to do so, but the problem is that if you register your party into the time of the issue of writs or into polling you will not contest in the election, you have to wait until the next election.”

“It is their right and our constitution is very clear on that, however, our people have to be mindful about this and the message we have been driving across to our existing political parties is that it is not easy to run and manage a political party in Papua New Guinea.”

“Ninety-nine per cent of political parties in Papua New Guinea are struggling to survive, so how do these new political parties that have registered are going to go out to our people to tell them to vote for them- timing is not on their side.”

He said through the registry the message has been tell people that to form a political party, one must undertake that for 2 to 3 years before the election so as to give enough time to the rural areas to tell them about them.

“Right now the voting behaviour does not help because right now voters only look at candidates and not the political parties.”

“For us at the registry we are trying to change that perception around so people go to vote looking at parties rather than candidates.”

“As of today we have 34 registered political parties, but with the way things are going we might end up with another 3 political parties on top of this.”

“Three political parties so far have paid their K10,000 registration fee and their applications will now go to the next stage of registration. By the time we reach the issue of writs in 2017 we might have maybe 40 political parties.”