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Political Reviews • MELANESIA 457 PAPUA NEW GUINEA political reviews • melanesia 457 Papua New Guinea those wishing to try their luck, to satisfy their ego, or simply to serve In the year 2002 Papua New Guinea as a front for other parties. More than was dominated by the general elec- three-quarters did not even win a seat. tions and the continued downturn of The election itself turned out to be the economy. a major embarrassment. Like previous In the first half of the year, the elections, planning for this election entire government and public service was wholly inadequate, with the prob- virtually stood still as political parties lem of an “unclean” Common Roll and other aspirants prepared for the dominating complaints. The most gen- June elections. By early March, it was erous analysis of the Common Roll clear that the leading contenders were suggests that there were more than a the National Alliance (na) led by the million ghost names, out of a voting country’s first prime minister, Michael population of about two million. Even Somare (better known as “Chief”), Prime Minister Morauta unsuccess- and the ruling party, People’s Demo- fully tried to stop the election via the cratic Movement (pdm), led ostensi- courts on the eve of nomination. The bly by Mekere Morauta but in reality first sign that the election machinery by Paias Wingti, another former prime was in trouble came on the first day of minister. While strong personalities voting in the capital, when more than rather than parties have dominated half of the polling booths failed to PNG politics since independence, open or opened late in the afternoon. this time there was an attempt to By the end of the first week of voting, strengthen the hand of political parties it was clear that the election could not via legislation. Late in 2001, a new be conducted according to the time- law, the Integrity of Political Parties table. The original plan had been to and Candidates Bill, had been promul- conduct polling in selected provinces gated, barring candidates who stood before moving to others until the under the banner of political parties whole country was covered, but with in the forthcoming election from delayed polling in the first few days it switching their support to another became evident that the plan was fall- party or individual during the vote for ing apart. After several court refer- the prime ministership. The new law ences, the governor-general signed also gave to the party with the largest papers for the election to be extended. number of elected members of Parlia- There were loud calls for the immedi- ment the first right to nominate for ate sacking of the electoral commis- the prime minister’s post, thus pre- sioner. An extraordinary press release venting the previous practice of put- from Morauta asked the public to ting together a coalition of conve- report the whereabouts of the elec- nience on the floor of Parliament to toral commissioner, because the prime elect a new leader. A total of forty- minister could not locate him to dis- two political parties registered for the cuss the running of the election. This election, but in reality many were item became the lead story on emtv “mosquito parties,” established by news, the only local television station. 458 the contemporary pacific • fall 2003 The campaign style in this election tion of public funds. Besides a Who’s was somewhat different from 1997, Who of PNG society, the 2,800 can- when the Sandline Crisis became the didates for the 109-seat Parliament “killer issue”; there was no single include many ex-convicts and others overriding issue in 2002. To win, with criminal records. The ordinary parties and individuals resorted to the voter does not seem to care, either. usual mixture of local and national In anti-corruption rallies organized issues, bribery, threats, and cheating. in Port Moresby and Lae, the turnout The People’s Democratic Move- was less than for a midweek football ment’s main thrust was its policy of game. The sad truth is that issues seem “free education for all.” It also trum- to matter little to voters. The over- peted Prime Minister Morauta’s sup- whelming majority of voters appar- posedly strong handling of the econ- ently expect to be bought or paid. omy, especially the stabilization of the Vote buying and houseline (clan) kina, the national currency, which had voting decided the outcome of most gone into freefall during the term of constituencies. Morauta’s predecessor, Bill Skate. The All candidates and parties promised National Alliance, meanwhile, cam- “development” and poverty eradica- paigned hard against privatization and tion if they were elected, never mind in opposition to the pdm policy of that they had no concrete plans and selling major state-owned enterprises the nation was on the verge of bank- such as Telekom and other public ruptcy. One party had a simple plan; utilities. Since independence, all the its manifesto promised k10,000 major state-owned enterprises have (about us$2,200) a month to each been systematically stripped by cor- PNG family; the money would come ruption and political interference, from scrapping the civil service. Since leaving many either in bankruptcy the civil service was known to be or insolvent. The National Alliance incompetent and inefficient, it was argued that privatization would sim- thought better to scrap it and give its ply mean a further loss of jobs and allocated budget directly to the people. selling off the country’s “jewels.” The While polling was relatively peace- solution they proposed was to install ful in the lowlands and the island independent professional managers, regions, violence was the norm in the rather than sell these enterprises. They highlands. Without exception, voting further argued that the only buyers in all the constituencies in the high- for these assets were “foreigners” and lands was marred by irregularities national sovereignty requires them to including blatant ballot stuffing, intim- remain in PNG hands. idation, tribal fighting, and vote buy- As in previous elections, corruption ing. An Australian researcher living featured prominently. Every candidate, in the highlands videotaped a scene including ones previously found guilty where the son of the winning candi- of corruption, pledged to fight corrup- date was openly marking ballot papers tion if elected. In fact several candi- in favor of his father, in front of the dates campaigned from jail where they polling station. (The footage was later were serving time for misappropria- shown on Dateline, an Australian cur- political reviews • melanesia 459 rent affairs television program.) Indi- man” if he did not posses a firearm. vidual candidates paid “special allow- Homemade guns were readily and ances” to some polling officials and cheaply available. Candidates who policemen on electoral duty. A police- could afford them also brought in a man who was escorting one of the large number of high-powered, fac- candidates had his hands chopped tory-made weapons. Combined with off after he shot a rival supporter. A the traditional highland-style politics group of renegade soldiers roamed the based on clan rivalry, payback, and highlands openly supporting certain winner-take-all attitude, violence was candidates. This was despite the fact simply unavoidable. Third, many of that the commander of the PNG the candidates had planned well ahead Defence Force issued a clear order for of time to cheat, believing that it was all pngdf personnel to be “locked impossible to win otherwise. These down” in the barracks during the made them desperate men who were entire election period. In other words, willing to use deadly force to ensure all the state organs involved in the they were elected. elections, the PNG Electoral Commis- By the time elections were com- sion, the police, the defense force, and pleted at the end of July, it was clear the candidates were all tainted with that no party had a working majority allegations of bias or cheating. In to rule alone. The National Alliance Mt Hagen, the airport was shut down was easily going to be the largest because the sitting member lost. The party. The ruling People’s Democratic airport sits on traditional land belong- Movement won less than half the ing to the defeated member’s clan. In number of seats claimed by the Southern Highlands, ballot boxes sit- National Alliance. Everyone in Port ting in a container in front of a police Moresby knew immediately that the station were firebombed. Election- race to form the government would related violence in the highlands be between those two parties. claimed at least forty lives. The The National Alliance, however, violence was so widespread that had the distinct advantage. As men- elections were suspended for six seats tioned, the new integrity law gave in Southern Highlands province; they the party with the largest number of were rescheduled to take place in elected parliamentarians the first right April 2003. to nominate for the post of prime Three major reasons explained the minister. Only if it failed to muster high incidence of violence in the high- sufficient votes could other nomina- lands. The extension of the election by tions come from the floor of Parlia- one month meant that many candi- ment. dates had run out of campaign money Within the na camp, questions by the time voting took place. They were already being raised as to who had not budgeted for the extension would be the na nominee for prime and let loose their supporters. Second, minister. The pre-election favorite in the preceding five years, gun culture (in addition to party leader Somare) had really taken hold in the highlands.
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