The Electoral Commission in Morobe will be working to slash its transport costs as it prepares to update electoral rolls in preparation for the 2017 elections.
Provincial Election Manager, Simon Soheke, believes costs can be drastically reduced if local level and provincial government vehicle fleets are used.
“We believe the people should take ownership of the electoral roll update,” said Morobe’s Election Manager, Simon Soheke.
“This is not an Electoral Commission job as many people say. It is a process for the people of Papua New Guinea.”
Elections in Papua New Guinea have long been criticized for being too expensive. But many election managers argue, the costs are justified because of the remote locations that election teams have to cover.
Helicopter companies in Morobe charge between K5,000 and K8,000 per hour. The deployment of teams takes several days. Sometimes, there can be delays of up to several days if the weather is bad.
Morobe will begin updating the electoral roll in a few weeks time. It is an important process which will need a lot of time and resources.
The difference is that the data will be collected and compiled in the province with technology playing a central part in the collection, updating and storage.
