The Opposition is claiming that the Government’s timing of the proposed amendments to the Organic Law on National and Local Level Government Elections (OLNLLGE) risks constitutionality of the General Elections in 2017.
Opposition Leader Don Polye in a packed media conference today said the amended OLNLLGE will limit ability of many citizens to be candidates in the 2017 elections.
Polye, supported by other affiliated party secretaries argued that the proposed amended OLNLLGE will also limit the citizen’s rights to appeal against a corrupt election.
He further reiterated that the schedule for the proposed amendment was also tight.
He clarified that the Constitution (Section 14(2)) requires that Members of Parliament receive formal notice of amendments ‘not less than a month before it is formally introduced into Parliament’.
Polye claimed that the increase of nomination fees was perpetrated by Prime Minister Peter O’Neill for his own crony MPs and not for the interest of the people of PNG.
However, Prime Minister Peter O’Neill earlier told Parliament in August that the election cost is increasing yearly and the PNG Electoral Commission must find a way to help subsidise the cost.
He said increasing the nomination fees for candidates is an area the government is looking into.
O’Neill added that one way the Government could do that was increase the nomination fees.