Social and Spiritual Development Strand Social Science Unit 2: Politics and Government Module 2.4 Elections, Parties and Pressure Groups Lecturer Support Material ii Module 2.4: Elections, Parties and Pressure Groups Acknowledgements Materials written and compiled by Francis Mahap (MTC), Lena Rifi (SBTC) and Sue Lauer (PASTEP). In consultation with: Helen Walangu PNGEI Aloisia Maradangoi Balob Teachers College, Lae William Laisut OLSH Teachers College, Kabaleo Matei Yass Gaulim Teachers College Michael Homingu Holy Trinity Teachers College, Mt Hagen Louise Aitsi Holy Trinity Teachers College, Mt Hagen William Umil Dauli Teachers College, Tari Baro Pari National Department of Education Layout and diagrams supported by Nick Lauer. Date: 5 April 2002 PASTEP Primary and Secondary Teacher Education Project Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) GRM International Papua New Guinea-Australia Development Cooperation Program Lecturer Support Material Module 2.4: Elections, Parties and Pressure Groups iii Unit outline (based on the National Curriculum Guidelines) 2.1 Introducing Politics and Government (Core) Unit 2 2.2 Government in PNG (Core) Politics and Government 2.3 Leadership (Optional) 2.4 Elections, Parties and Pressure Groups (Optional) Icons & Read or research @ Write or summarise F Activity or discussion i Suggestion for lecturer Lecturer Support Material iv Module 2.4: Elections, Parties and Pressure Groups Table of contents Module 2.4: Elections, Parties and Pressure Groups.........................................1 Objectives .................................................................................................................1 Teaching Module 2.4...................................................................................................2 Section 1: Elections.....................................................................................................4 Topic 1: The Electoral System...................................................................................4 Topic 2: The Electoral Commission..........................................................................6 Topic 3: Electoral issues ............................................................................................8 Bill on Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates...................................................8 Party preference voting system..............................................................................15 Section 2: Political Parties ...................................................................................... 16 What is a political party?.........................................................................................16 Topic 4: Political parties in PNG............................................................................. 16 Section 3: Policies..................................................................................................... 19 Topic 5: What is a policy? ....................................................................................... 19 Party policies ...........................................................................................................19 Topic 6: Public opinion............................................................................................ 20 Controlling public opinion.........................................................................................22 Topic 7: Party policies in PNG................................................................................ 23 Section 4: Pressure Groups................................................................................... 25 Topic 8: What is a pressure group?....................................................................... 25 Trade unions............................................................................................................26 Non-government organizations ...............................................................................26 Women’s groups .....................................................................................................26 Topic 9: International pressure groups................................................................... 27 Amnesty International .............................................................................................27 World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)......................................................................28 Greenpeace.............................................................................................................28 Friends of the Earth.................................................................................................28 Topic 10: Pressure groups in PNG ........................................................................ 29 References.................................................................................................................. 31 Glossary....................................................................................................................... 32 Lecturer Support Material Module 2.4: Elections, Parties and Pressure Groups 1 Module 2.4: Elections, Parties and Pressure Groups A regulated electoral process and the existence of a range of political parties help ensure democratic principles are adhered to in a country. As citizens of Papua New Guinea, future teachers need to be knowledgeable about election procedures and the roles of the various political parties that form governments. They also need to be aware of the pressure exerted by international, national and local groups to achieve a range of outcomes for themselves and the communities they represent. Objectives By the end of this module students will be able to · Recognise, appreciate and accept the political values and practices of people within PNG and elsewhere · Determine factors influencing elections and policies · Develop thinking skills to enable informed decisions and positive attitudes · Discuss and define the role of institutions such as the electoral commission · Analyse the performance of major political parties · Respect different viewpoints and belief systems · Understand the electoral process and contribute to the running of elections if possible · Apply a range of skills such as observing, measuring and recording data, using data to explain, draw conclusions, and make predictions · Identify pressure groups and their impact on people and government · Compare and contrast the policies of different pressure groups · Identify significant issues which involve both government and pressure groups · Describe the interrelationships between governments and pressure groups Lecturer Support Material 2 Module 2.4: Elections, Parties and Pressure Groups Teaching Module 2.4 It is important to read through the module first, to decide what materials you will use, and what tasks and activities you will set for the students. It is also important to see how this module fits within the complete unit. The material is written as a resource for the teaching of this module. Do not expect students to work through the total module alone. There may be too much material and they will need assistance in determining the tasks required. Many of the activities have a number of questions to discuss and tasks to do. They are included to provide some ideas and stimulus, not necessarily to complete every part of each activity. The activities provide a focus for learning, and some may be suitable for developing into assessment tasks, but the activities are not written to be used as the assessment program. The Lecturer Support Material is the same as the Student Support Material, with additional notes included in the information boxes. Materials included as an appendix are included as additional information for lecturers. These may be photocopied for students where appropriate. Assessment tasks should be developed at unit level, recognising the development of knowledge, skills and attitudes across this module and others which make up the unit. i Conducting an opinion poll People who conduct public opinion polls are sometimes called pollsters. The work of pollsters involves five steps: (1) defining the goals; (2) selecting the sample, the individuals to be questioned; (3) designing the questionnaire; (4) interviewing the sample; and (5) analysing the results. Defining the goals involves deciding what a poll will seek to find out and whom it will question. A poll may ask people's opinions about certain economic, political, or social issues. It may study people's attitudes toward various events, individuals, or situations. The group of people from which the sample is selected is called the population or universe. A population may consist of everyone in a city, state, or some other area. On the other hand, it may include only a certain group, such as factory workers, homeowners, or teenagers. Selecting the sample: Pollsters select the sample so that every person in the population has as close to an equal chance to be included as possible. Designing the questionnaire: Pollsters ask two general types of questions--closed and open. A closed question asks the respondents to select their answers from two or more choices. An open question asks them to give their opinions in their own words. Interviewing the sample: Most pollsters question respondents directly, either in person or by telephone. Questioning respondents in person has two advantages. The first one is that the interviewer can be at least reasonably sure that the respondent understands the questions.