The Morobe Provincial Election Office has confirmed that the tally board for the Kabwum Open by-election is being set up at the Sir Ignatius Kilage Stadium in Lae. Election Manager Simon Soheke said polling is progressing well across the electorate with no major issues reported so far. He said polling teams in Kabwum are continuing their work, and two Mobile Squad units have been deployed to Indagen in Komba LLG to support security. Mr Soheke said, “Polling is running smoothly. There have been no disturbances and everything is on track.” Extraction of polling teams is expected to start on Wednesday,…
Author: Martha LOUIS
As Papua New Guinea come together today to honour its fallen heroes on National Remembrance Day, Madang Provincial Police Commander Acting Superintendent Robert Baim delivered a deeply personal message about sacrifice, service, and unity. Baim, whose late father fought during World War II, said the day serves as a powerful reminder of the price paid for the freedom Papua New Guineans enjoy today. “I reflected on how far our nation has come,” he said. “My father once shared stories about standing alongside Allied forces on the shores of Morobe and Madang, they fought so we could live in peace.” The…
A fire has destroyed the Madang Teachers College printing office, leaving the school with a heavy loss estimated at around K1 million. It is believed that the fire broke out on the night of July 11, sometime between 9 and 10 pm has now left the school in dismay. A student who saw the incident, Pavel Joshua, said the fire began from an air conditioner unit and quickly spread to nearby papers and the walls. The printing office was a permanent building made from wood and cement, with iron roofing and full electrical wiring. It took almost two hours for…
Good news for students at Divine Word University—there won’t be any more deregistrations this year. DWU President Fr. Philip Gibbs said the university has now received the Semester One TESAS payments from the government. The HELP loan funds are also on the way, with about K3.06 million still expected. Back in June, around 800 students were mistakenly deregistered due to unpaid fees. But Fr. Gibbs said the issue was picked up quickly. “The deregistration of 800 students at the end of June was not supposed to happen. As soon as it was detected, most were re-registered the next day,” he…
Voting in the Usino-Bundi Gama by-election is moving forward, with polling teams reaching remote areas by helicopter and dinghy. Despite a few small issues, the Electoral Commission and police are working together to keep the process peaceful and fair. One argument between candidates was quickly handled by police. In places like Danagar and Banu, people have already voted. Their ballot boxes are now locked inside the Walium police station, as no proper storage containers were available. Police are still doing their job even though they haven’t received their allowances yet. Extra security teams from Lae are on the ground to…
Tensions flared at Walium Station over the weekend as Peter Yama, former Madang Governor and candidate for the Usino Bundi Gama seat, questioned why a suspended election officer was helping with the by-election. Yama and other candidates met with election officials to find out how someone facing serious allegations was allowed near the process. “This isn’t okay,” Yama said. “People want a fair vote, not more doubts. Trust in the system is already fragile.” The meeting wasn’t heated, but it was clear candidates wanted answers — and fast. Madang Election Manager Sponsa Navi responded, saying the officer had been told…
People in Wards 1 to 5 of Usino Bundi Gama in Madang province who turned up to vote today had to return home without casting their ballots, as polling has been pushed to tomorrow. Provincial Election Manager Mr. Sponsa Navi explained that polling teams arrived too late to move out to their locations in time. “Polling was meant to begin today, but the Returning Officer decided to shift it to the 22nd because of delays,” he said. The helicopter that was supposed to fly officials into the hard-to-reach places like Bundi and Gama was also delayed due to payment issues.…
Polling in Indum 1, within Kabwum’s Selepet Local Level Government (LLG) area, is progressing peacefully with no reports of disturbances. For over three hours, voting has been calm and orderly. A team of five election officials is on-site assisting voters, while police are maintaining a steady presence to ensure public safety. An update shared in the by-election coordination group confirmed that operations are running smoothly and that voters have been turning up in an orderly manner. “There’s no trouble here. People are lining up and voting,” read one message from the team on the ground. Selepet is one of four…
Funding issues have posed early challenges for the Kabwum by-election, but support from key government bodies has helped keep things on track. Electoral officials say they initially received only K200,000 out of a planned K4.1 million budget. This raised concerns over whether polling and counting could go ahead smoothly. Morobe Election Manager, Mr. Simon Soheke said the Morobe Provincial Government stepped in with K500,000, while the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister added another K1.5 million. The Electoral Commission also released K1 million. “That brings the total to K2 million to complete the election and cover police and logistics costs.”…
Polling in Kabwum District in Morobe province is moving ahead peacefully, with all ballot papers now delivered to the four Local Level Governments (LLG). Morobe Rural Police Commander, Senior Inspector Yonga Yawongan said the atmosphere is calm and security personnel are in place across the district. Security has been stepped up with officers from the Mobile Squad, Special Response Unit, and local police deployed across the district. He warned against any plans to disrupt the vote, especially attempts to hijack ballot boxes, saying police would respond firmly. “We’re not taking any chances,” said Inspector. The move comes after the 2022…