The PNG National Party caucus has decided against supporting the proposed amendment to the organic law on the National and LLG elections reverting to the First Past the Post voting system.
Minister for Petroleum and Leader of the PNG National Party, Kerenga Kua said the proposed Bill goes against the fundamental principles and the values of the party.
Minister Kua made a stand to oppose a private bill introduced by a Member of Parliament.
“The First Past the Post voting system involves a lot of criminal activities especially in the Highlands region compared to the Limited Preferential Voting system,” he said.
Minister Kua also pointed out that PNG National Party is founded on the principle of serving the national interest for progressive and prosperous PNG and will not support the bill.
He added that the proposed bill not only undermines the fundamental principles and values of PNG National Party but take PNG backward instead of moving forward.
Minister Kua explained that if it does surfaced within the Government ranks, it would go through a lengthy process before tabling on the floor of Parliament.
He is questioning the process of the bill as it was already on the Notice Papers without the Cabinet’s approval.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister James Marape has also opposed the bill but allows the individual MPs to make their own decisions.
According to a survey by the Australian National University, compared with the first-past-the-post system, the LPV system is arguably more democratic for PNG because it allows three choices for a voter.
In an electorate with a large number of candidates, it also ensures that an MP is elected to office with more than 50 per cent of the votes from his/her electorate.
Under the first-past-the-post system in the 2002 national election, women in the Highlands generally did not vote. Their right to vote as individuals was denied.
There was absolutely no freedom of choice, no freedom of expression and no freedom of movement in the Highlands.