MATHIAS KIN
IN Papua New Guinea, and especially in the Highlands, there’s a lot of foul play when elections are in train.
Few people vote as individuals. Most people vote along blood lines - as a clan, tribe, village or area. Enough lamb flaps, money and beer shared among a tribe is what constitutes flaps truth.
Otherwise, a person may be punched in the face (or even killed) if the village finds out he voted out of line.
Our friends in PNG Attitude - if you sincerely want to assist a country you truly care about getting out of its misery – need to contact and support Sam Basil, Sam Koim, Allan Marat, Gary Juffa, Mekere Morauta, Rabbie Namaliu and others like them.
Ask them this question, "How can we help out in 2017?"
In PNG there are still a lot of good people who feel for this country and want to see better governance and positive change in the lives of our people during our lifetime.
It’s a certainty that in 2017 the good guys will still not have enough money to challenge the bad guys - because they depend entirely on their own savings to stand and this is never sufficient.
The bad guys with a lot of money will win and fill up the Haus Tambaran in July 2017.
There is a saying in Simbu, "Yu nogat moni, noken sanap. Yu westim taim." Without the money, you can’t run; you’re wasting time. As for me, I keep telling my people that things will change in the near future. Am I wasting my time?
In 2012 I stood for the seat of Salt Nomane Karimui in Simbu and lost. During my campaign, I said no to hausman, no to lamb flaps, no to SP beer and no to free money.
My party, Peoples Movement for Change (Gary Juffa is party leader), loaned me a Land Cruiser once in a while as I needed to travel around my electorate.
I did well in public debates. In fact, I came top in this area. The people liked our party policies. The masses followed my style, my charisma, my no nonsense never take a backward step style.
Then on nomination day I suddenly found two other guys standing in the area where my base vote was.
I found out later that they were actually dummies and splitters set up by my rivals to divide my base. They achieved this devious intent. I accepted defeat and did not declare a tribal war.
I also did not score well in other areas where I campaigned hard and seemed sure to get votes. The rich guys had followed my tracks well.
The evening before polling day, they visited each hausman (men’s house) and distributed money to the village and the clan. The people accept this eagerly and voted accordingly the next day.
The attitude of Papua New Guineans, especially Highlanders, in the 2017 election will not change.
Most strong candidates will be from the ruling People’s National Congress, O'Neill's party. They will have lots of money. It is most likely that this money just a few weeks or months before, was official government money. The people's money.
I wish someone like Bill Gates would put K200,000 into my account. I would win in 2017, beat the guys with the money, outplay the stooges and splitters.
This would not be bribe money for the hausman, you need a million kina now for that, it would be for campaign management and logistics.
No, not much will change in PNG politics after 2017. Corruption will increase and things will get worse for the citizens.
We will have a country of poverty stricken people in a land of plenty.
That the flap truth!