Don Polye Blitzes Kandep – 27 Rivals Left on Zero Votes
Don Polye, leader of Trumph Heritage Empowerment Party (THE), and current Member for Kandep Open, has successfully retained his seat in Papua New Guinea Election 2012.
As I predicted, the popular Engan leader repeated his pioneering feat in the 2007 Election, by winning on primary votes – again. Polye polled 23,952 votes, surpassing the required absolute majority of 22,200 votes under Limited Preferential Voting (LPV).
He becomes the second elected MP after Ialibu-Pangia’s Peter O’Neill to be elected on primary votes so far, and will most likely be the last, with only Bulolo’s Sam Basil and Mt Hagen’s William Duma having any chance of coming close to claiming a 50% + 1 majority on the primary vote – a difficult achievement in the PNG context.
What makes Polye’s achievement even more astonishing is the extent in which he dominated Kandep Open. Of the 59 candidates he stood against, Polye beat second-placed and long standing rival Alfred Manase by 11,000 votes.
In addition, 47 of those 59 candidates – or 80%, scored less than 10 votes each; with 12 candidates only able to attract one vote apiece, and 27 recording an incredible zero votes – which must be a record in itself.
Furthermore, out of a total of 47,841 votes cast, only 128 informal votes – or .03% – were recorded. This, again, is an astounding achievement and indicates that the people of Kandep are most likely the country’s most educated when it comes to LPV.
Last week, these odd figures caught my attention – and back then, 39 candidates were still sitting on zero votes apiece. Although that figure has ‘improved’, one has to question the possibility of how 27 candidates ended up with zero percent of the primary vote.
Did they, their wives, children and families not even cast one primary vote in their favor? How did 27 contesting candidates not vote for themselves once, and if they did, then all 27 must have registered an informal vote each.
These are difficult statistics to logically accept, and should warrant at the least, an explanation from the Kandep Open returning officer and PNG Electoral Commissioner Andrew Trawen.
The Garamut 
Yes, I agree. The figures are very difficult to accept, and particularly where candidates not even voting for themselves after paying the nomination fee. The percentage of informal votes for Kandep and Ialibu -Pangia must be among the lowest in the country, which in itself must raise legitimate questions. The percentage of informal votes appears much higher even in provinces such as Manus, East New Britain, Madang, Milne Bay and Central – all places where you would expect a reasonably low informal vote.
‘Jei Massam’ – Very good point. I’ve just checked the number of informal votes cast in Ialibu-Pangia, there were 215 cast. As mentioned above, there were 128 in Kandep Open. The two Manus seats have been declared too and would be a good benchmark to see how many informal votes were cast. I just tried to check them, but the figures aren’t included on the PNGEC website.
I agree that is very strange to have a candidate vote only at zero but this is 27 candidates with zero. This very questioable. How could their brother, wife or sister or even themselves cast a vote for themselves. It is very suspicious. What do you think?
‘Martin Naura’ – Well, that’s the question I ask in my article. It’s not logical is it? And the low number of informal votes is also questionable – particularly when compared to other provinces. I can’t retrieve Manus’ informal votes, but once other electorates have finished counting their votes, we can have a better look at the details.
Trawen…can you agree or disagree whether..the results are genuine or the results are indicating election foul play on the highest level??Strange indeed
Yes – EC removes the number of informal votes when the elimination process begins. I based my comments, and trust I am not in error, on the figures on EC website released prior to the elimination process. I looked, at electorates where the count was well advanced. If the basis of my assertion is wrong, I stand corrected.
‘Jei Massim’ – No, I don’t think you’re wrong. I think your assertion is right. I’ll start recording some of the figures now – before they get wiped off. Particularly the informal votes.
Tavurvur, I was at the site of the elections and I must say that this was never a fair election, as such was the By-Election previously, Polye rigged the Polls, We have photographic evidence of vote tampering and that the Returning Officer was hand-picked to deliver Polye. There was no clear mandate, 70% of voting in the highlands are rigged and thats a proven fact, money buys anything these days, including leadership.
‘Steve Perakin’ – Thanks for this. I’ve sent you an email. Rgds, Tavurvur.
Sad to say, but a zero means zero. The notion that even their family members didn’t vote for their kinsman is ridiculous. Individuals choose who they want to vote; not necessarily their family members. It would be much better to argue say a difference of five votes between the leading candidate and the runner up. As it stands, the leading candidate is way ahead.
At least if the candidates themselves have voted for themselves then they would have got 1 vote. To get zero ( and esp for a large number of candidates) is unbelievable is obviously blatant vote rigging at best. I hope the winners go to bed with a guilty conscious… But then again that’s png highlands politics..
The fact was that there were 5 boxes yet to be counted containing some 3400+ votes and the returning officer, who was a long political friend of Polye has just delcared him knowing very well that it will og to second count and he losoes teh seat. Situation on the ground did not reveal that he would score beyond 11000+ votes and the people of Kandep find it very hard to believe that he has scored 23000+ to win…a mere unbelieveable figure.
Counting was only suspended on Thursday July 12 to continue on the 5 remaining boxes on Friday July 13. The RO went ahead and declared Polye without even counting these 5 boxes and they are still there. Its being put to court by teh rest of the candidates and is highly likely to result in bye election or recount and anotehr candidate wins by elemination.
‘Kupyuwi’ – Thank you for sharing this. Well, we will just have to wait and see the verdict of the Court of Disputed Returns. This will take some time though, at which stage, Don Polye could very well be in the thick of things in government. Rgds, Tavurvur.
Sorry for the bias comments but that is what will be revealed in the Court of disputed returns, and you and i will hear and see. Once that’s revealed, i will return to thsi comments and prove
Kind Regards
All your comments are spot on…free and fair election has never taken place and it has been signed on behalf by few people. Other stayed away or left in fear of their lives for being threatened and that’s typical politicsa in the Highlands.
Out of frustration as i add this commenst now, up to 3 war fares are going on now at Kandep due to political related killings by rivals and Polye. A mass ambush happened yesterday in a village in Kandep where up to 7 people have lost their lives. Am told more today and yet to confirm.
‘Fed up Kandepian’ – Has there been any reporting of what you say in our two dailies? I don’t seem to remember anything about tribal warfare in Kandep?
Most certainly, I would encourage you to come back to this piece and make more comments on it when the court case is heard, or after it has been heard. Rgds, Tavurvur.
Location is so isolated and no exposure to media etc. and there is no one travelling the road right now in fear of their lives. The ambush happened just yesterday at 3:30pm and friends and relatives who were there called from a certain location from the mountain where there is digicel coverage confirming the same. They will give more updates this afternoon when they give signal by way of a miscall on my phone where i will give them a call to find out.
Yes, Message copied and i promise that i will do it
Regards
Simple, he endorsed all the other 47 Candidates accept for Alfred Manasseh. [Edited due to profanity – Tavurvur]
Remember my last comment on this issue. Now, I am seeing a comment on this site via twitter feed that election petitions have been piled and confirmed for Kandep. I will wait and see but i hope the electrol commission and or the court orders a recount and declares a winner based on that outcome because Kandep now is in chaos. Up to 5 villages have been destroyed and one confirmed being burnt yesterday. Up to 26 innocent lives lost so far in that battle including the 3 during counting at Wabag. It appears between Polye’s mobs and the rival in Polye’s Mariant Constituency towards the southern part of the district, one of the 3 constituencies in Kandep.
‘The Kandepian’ – Yes, that’s right. It is my understanding that a formal petition has been placed with the PNGEC and the Court of Disputed Returns regarding the Kandep outcome. They had a 40-day window to place it, and it’s good to see that no time is being wasted to challenge the result. Rgds, Tavurvur.
so far ,up to 70 lives have been lost inthe on-going tribal fight in kandep because of the outcome of teh election process
‘Kandepian2012’ – Has any action been taken by police or authorities in Kandep regarding the above? What’s the latest? Rgds, Tavurvur.
The leadership is given by God. No earthly man can rermoves what is given by GOD The Creater of The Whole Universe. God as planned that Mr Polye will lead the whole districts, province, mation and even entire world. He has full of wisdom, young potential leader so we give moral support to him to lead us to next step.
if the plitical rivals are always challenging him, that means they are too narrow minded and not understandable elites. lkt him do.
‘Yanson John Poro’ – I think you’ve been smoking some of that new ‘juju’ stuff. Rgds, Tavurvur.
Yanson John Poro, you sound like a drug addict,commenting from only a fraction of your grey cell with the rest being clouded by cannabis. Just out of curiosty how did you end up there in the Phlipines ?Propbably you are at a Psychiatric Hospital . Who said DON is a divine appointed leader, The Rule of Law has proven that Don has never been voted by Kandepens in the By Elections and in the 2012 General Elections no Kandepens Voted for your dishonest power hungry mad Don. The Mighty Creator you are using to defend a very weak and selfish leader will use PNG Courts to declare nul and void Don’s Election Victory. The reallity is that Don’s winning votes consists of foriegne ballot papers, and ballot papers belonging to other loosing candidates that were delibertly thrown into Dons box by Naipata Kea and his bunch of lunatics so the runner up must be declared winner by the Courts as bye elections are a waste of time, effort, money, and costing lives of innocent people.
Lian Kambur
You are spot on at revealing exactly what had happened. Yanson John Poro and Don Polye are from the same village called Gini ( now deserted by rivals) and there about. Trouble has been deliberately instigated by the RO and Polye in looting and adding additional number of ballots at the same time adding the ballot papers for loosing candidates to Polye’s tally simply to get the absolute majority, reason why there was no quality checks done, declared without completing all boxes etc. something for the court to do those checks and decide in March 2013. Lets wait and see because there is always two sides to a story, the good and the bad and now is their good times and hope it will be good for ever!!