The involvement of key government agencies and departments in the current major review of the election laws and systems is bound by the directive from the Governor General.
Henganofi MP and chairman of the Constitutional and Law Reform Commission, Robert Atiyafa, says non-participation is in breach of this directive.
Atiyafa raised this concern as he prepares to lead, tomorrow, the first leg of the nationwide consultation on the Review of the Organic Law on National and Local Level Government Elections and related electoral laws and systems.
“This is constitutional directive and is not a directive from the office of the Prime Minister but it’s national call where we expect all the stakeholders, including the Electoral Commission, the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties and Candidate, the Department of Provincial and Local Level Affairs, the Department of Justice and Attorney General, my commissioners, and others who are called by the directive, to attend,” Atiyafa said.
“This is a team work that all these stakeholders we need to go around together because the terms of reference that we are consulting our people on are agreed to by all these stakeholders, the heads of the department of those organisations.”
He hoped that those stakeholders, including the Electoral Commission that didn’t participate, would join up in the next leg of the consultation.
Atiyafa also acknowledged the participation of the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties and Candidates, the Department of Justice and Attorney General, the Public Solicitor’s Office and the Department of Provincial and Local Level Government Affairs in the consultation.
Meanwhile, the two-day consultation for Chimbu concluded last Saturday on a high note, with huge turnout and interest shown by local political leaders, including Chuave MP and Trade and Commerce Minister Wera Mori.
Atiyafa said the consultation team also took note of the participants not restricting their views to just the terms of reference of the review but who went further to touch on new and important national issues such as recommendations on the incorporation of electoral laws in school curriculums, regional electoral commissioners, printing of ballot papers to be made within the country, the amalgamation of census and common roll, use of CCTV in counting areas, and no amendment to the Organic Laws and the Constitution unless after a referendum or a consultation as it is now.
