KRANKI PELES*
PAPUA New Guineans are unimpressed but unsurprised by the antics of the political class and their cronies in this 2017 general election.
They’ve seen it all before, but social media and mobile technology have enabled people to share with the world both evidence of foul play and their subsequent outrage.
There are now attempts from to censor people (case in point, the Namorong gagging), but these will not be successful.
With the evidence stacking up, one might expect there would be an international backlash against such an assault on democracy.
But not so.
One of the observers for these elections has been a member of parliament from Australia, Cathy McGowan, who wrote - rather optimistically - that “the level of community engagement and active participation in democracy is something to behold.”
She failed to mention the huge number of people who have been maliciously disenfranchised and purposefully disengaged from the electoral process.
Many men and women I’ve spoken to were unable to find their names on the electoral role despite registering.
And in some electorates there have been more votes counted than registered voters.
It’s a fix.
The Australian government has stayed silent on these issues, but Australian Defence Force helicopters hover over the country and confused faces look skyward wondering what on earth they’re doing to help.
Their presence in Papua New Guinea also seems to have confused some of their own personnel.
Many can’t believe their luck at being able to spend so much time at one of Port Moresby’s top hotels working out at the gym and drinking beer by the pool.
One young soldier staying in Port Moresby for the duration of the election remarked he had grown bored of flying around in a helicopter every day and that it was only being done because there was a fuel allocation to be used.
It all adds up to joyrides for those in the sky, unspectacular air shows for those on the ground and an expensive bill for the Australian taxpayers.
For the last 12 months the Australian government has been trying to position itself as the great modern partner and friend of Papua New Guinea.
The rhetoric has not been backed up with any perceptible strengthening of the bilateral relationship.
True partners tell each other when there is a problem, but there has been complete silence from the Australian government on the electoral process other than a half-hearted attempt to say it wan’t its fault.
There’s been no honesty, just a willingness to stand on the sidelines, say nothing awaiting a handshake with the eventual winner - the person who will have bullied, bought and burned his way to victory.
Politicians may argue that Australia shouldn’t interfere in the election of a sovereign state - which would be a fair point.
But election observers need to speak up or they are complicit to corruption and incompetence.
Those people who are guilty of defrauding the democratic process apparently believe they can continue to do so with no consequences; they have in the past and will do so again.
How long will the Australian government continue to bury its head in the sand and expect a different outcome?
Australia needs to be on the side of the people of Papua New Guinea as they struggle to have their voices heard and their votes counted.
* Nom de guerre of an Australian working in the New Guinea highlands