DANIEL KUMBON
AMIDST the hustle and bustle of the elections today, I saw the most beautiful sight in Wabag town.
I’d seen him yesterday and the day before that; a young man busy at work.
Paul continues to work in his flower garden along the Wabag Primary School perimeter fence even as election counting in the Enga Province progresses inside the classrooms and protesters gather outside.
While voters, security forces, election officials, candidates and their supporters are busy with the election, Paul is the odd man out.
He was among a handful of youths the Wabag Town Authority employed last year to plant flowers to beautify the town.
“The flowers are like a baby to me,” Paul told me. “I must protect them from people trampling them.”
He said he hoped people would respect his work and keep Wabag clean and beautiful.
“The election will be over in a few days but Wabag town must remain beautiful. We must not destroy the garden.”
The beautification of Wabag town started last year when a group of youths started planting flowers - starting at the Ipatas Centre office complex, then the police station, along the Okuk Highway past the Wabag Primary School and leading to the National Broadcasting Commission studios.
Paul hopes people will be mindful of the flower gardens when they go close to read the daily updates of the Enga election results on a big board erected near the school perimeter fence.
Polling has been generally peaceful in Enga. Police helicopters hover overhead but only two people have been killed compared to previous elections.
It looks like the people of PNG are having a mainly peaceful election and it is corrupt officials, certain candidates and supporters who have destroyed the reputation of the PNG electoral commission.