15/05/2020
MAIN PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES OF ELECTIONS IN PNG WHERE WABIRIA ELECTORAL SOLUTION (WES) WILL ADDRESS
The spread of democracy around the world is one of the most significant achievements of our times and election sits at the centre of it. However, many problems mitigate the successful conduct of elections, and the democratic election process is often abused in Papua New Guinea (PNG).
Available data shows an increase in the crisis level encountered in PNG during elections. The death rates rose significantly during every elections and was worst in the 2017 national elections. Likewise, the value of properties damaged increases at every election period. The outlook shows nothing will be different but worse in 2022 National Election if nothing new is done to the way we run elections.
Hence in anticipation of worst 2022 Election brings, the Papua New Guinean aerospace engineer Nicholas Wabiria has developed a blockchain technology based E-Voting platform designed to help PNG and democratic countries run cheap and yet successful elections beyond human manipulation, fraud and violence.
The new cutting-edge election system delivers real time election result, solves and circumvents both manmade and natural problems encountered during elections, and significantly lowers the cost of running elections.
Mr Wabiria, who is now based in Melbourne, Australia, grew up in a politician’s home and hails from Hela Province where electoral corruption and election related problems are usually high.
The following problems are major concerns during national elections in PNG which Wabiria Electoral Solution (WES) is designed to address, go around and ensure real democratic election results are achieved without human interference and influences. WES will cut-down human involvement to the barest minimal in running election that compromises the integrity of elections resulting dissatisfaction amongst supporters. Though there are many problems WES will address during elections, below are only some of them.
PRINTING OF EXTRA BALLOT PAPERS
One of the big problems seen in developing countries is printing of extra ballot papers and illegally brought into the counting stations. Corrupt candidates tend to print and circulate extra ballot papers to abuse and rig elections. In PNG, the people live in tribes, clans and families in villages. A village or several villages have council wards which make up polling areas.
The running candidates who come from a particular tribe or nearby tribe tend to have more power or authority over all the votes from that ward than their opponents who come from other tribes/villages and he can easily have them marked or awarded in his favour.
Although this is an abuse of democracy, it has become a recurring trend in PNG, and the situation may worsen in coming elections. By using WES, this problem will be solved through the adoption of our voters code system. Only legitimate voters in the common roll/WES system will vote, stopping illegal ballot papers/voters double voting etc. from outside.
VOTING ON LEFT OVER BALLOT PAPERS
It has also become common occurrence that left over ballot papers get marked anyway instead of bringing them back to the officials to destroy them. We have seen that the powerless officials allows villagers to continue use- up access or extra ballot papers though it is seen as double voting and an abuse of democratic process. By introducing WES system, this trend of abuse will be solved as WES system will not accept double voting or extra voting.
THE HIJACKING OF BALLOT BOXES AND BALLOT PAPERS
The hijacking of ballot boxes and papers by a group of sponsored gangs have become a common occurrence during elections in PNG. Candidates have their supporters, who hijack ballot boxes and papers, and then they mark all in that particular candidate’s favour and send them back to the counting room.
Often these supporters resort to destroying marked ballot papers and boxes while being transported back to the counting room if they know that the ballot box transported has block votes for other candidates.
These incidents quickly aggravate to a disruption of social law and order as opposing gangs often clash and fight in a bid to hijack ballot boxes and control for the benefit of their chosen candidate.
An objective of the WES would be to solve or bypass the challenges associated with transporting ballot boxes and papers by the electoral commission to and fro polling units without having them hijacked by gangs.
Ballot papers and ballot boxes may not be necessary. WES will do away with ballot papers and ballot boxes, instead replace them with voters’ cards and election detail that contains candidates and election ID and can be issued on the day of voting at the center or brought by the voters, as they receive it through sms/email before the election date. In PNG manual distribution will be viable, not sms/email distribution.
Using WES introduces a voucher and card system and text message voting systems. Stack of cards (typical business card or flex card- size cards) is controllable and transported in one car or helicopter, so it is safe and easy to control and manage, whereas thousands of ballot boxes and ballot papers transported on a few long trucks are vulnerable, too much to manage.
In country like PNG, each Local Level Government (LLG) land mass is very big and consists hundreds of council wards which make up number of polling areas to manage. We have seen that with our current Ballot paper/box manual system most of those polling areas have no control and too much to manage. Most of the wards/polling areas often have couple or no security presence at all. To manage that, our approach will be to appoint 2 to at most 4 designated areas depending on LLG Land Mass or size where voters of all wards can go to collect their voter's cards. Hundreds of wards will be grouped into two to four at most designated areas each LLG constituencies. In this way it is highly secured, manageable and controllable given concentrated few designated areas to focus with heavy security presence rather than scattered to hundreds of wards/polling areas with current manual systems where some polling stations get not even a single security personal and control at all. Other Pacific Countries will have no problems with the distribution/transportation of the voter's cards. Voter's cards will be brought into those appointed areas via helicopter or cars with heavy es**rts directed to those designated areas. WES system has provision to nullify voter’s card and code number for a particular area/ward if necessary at any given time.
UNSAFE TRANSPORTATION OF MARKED BALLOT BOXES TO COUNTING ROOMS AND ILLEGALLY PRE- MARKED BOXES
One of the risky scenarios seen during the election is while transporting the marked ballot papers and ballot boxes back to the counting stations from various polling stations. We have seen during the recent past elections many of the marked ballot papers and boxes never officially get picked up and transported back to the counting room by the elections officials. Pressures from the villagers are often too much and they engage to transport the marked ballot boxes back to the counting rooms themselves as they sometimes don’t trust the election officials and also to make sure safe transportation of their block votes boxes.
It has become normal during the past elections that the villagers from each ward take charge of marked ballot boxes (and they are possibly rigged boxes) from their wards and risk their life transporting them, sometimes without the es**rt of security personnel through highly intense passage. This is where sponsored gangs and supporters from neighboring wards hurt and kill each other.
Most of the time, the sponsored gangs and opposing villagers of other candidates fight each other over marked ballot boxes being transported back in a bid to destroy the ballot papers or have them replace with illegally pre-marked ballot papers. This scene has warranted many problems and election interruptions.
With WES platform, transportation of marked ballot papers is done electronically in the form of text messages. Hence by doing so WES bypasses the problems associated with transportation of marked ballot boxes and papers to the counting room and also eliminates the possibility of adding illegally pre- marked ballot papers and boxes as often happens.
CHOPPING AND TEMPERING OF BALLOT BOXES
We have seen that it was a common occurrence that the supporters or angry villagers resort to chopping ballot boxes at will. Sometimes when boxes are chopped and damaged interrupts polling but get patched and continue otherwise if the forces applied are not enough to severely damage. The chopped/tempered ballot boxes can reach the counting station but then it becomes problem again whether or not to count from them and becomes overwhelming situations for the counting officials as they (the tempered boxes) predispose escalation of problems if decision to count or not conflicts supporters interests. Most of the killing and shooting occurs as a result of this. Unlike biometric/Indian voting machines where they can also be tempered and shut when very insignificant force if applied, posing same or worst problem with their fragility and complexity, WES will solve this problem by doing away with ballot boxes/papers and decentralize the polling areas and allow people to vote from anywhere anytime.
POLLING BOOTH/AREA CHAOS AND DISORDER AND RIGGING OF ELECTIONS
In PNG, a large number of polling booths lack adequate security. There have been situations where there are no police, or they are stationed far in remote areas or way in the town areas.
The past elections have witnessed police officers dying on duty while providing security because the villagers and gangs overpower them with their more sophisticated weapons. This level of chaos has caused most voters, mostly women and young ones, to stay away from the polling booths.
Their rights are denied and they consider it hard and dangerous to come out and vote. Some elections have had situations where entire eligible voters in a council ward or several wards miss out and do not get opportunity to cast their votes because of the chaotic turn of events. Consequently, many are denied the right to decide and select their leader.
The objective of WES, therefore, is to solve and address the enormous issues of chaos and rigging associated with crowding at election polling booths. Through the use of the WES voucher/ballot cards system, we decentralize the polling areas in respective wards, and instead allow people to vote from anywhere, anytime.
Hence, their privacy, security, safety, equal participation, and all established United Nation policies for democratic elections processes are maintained and adhered to. An officer or two will be stationed with mobile phone at designated areas to assists voters without phone or difficulty writing Vote SMS.
POLICING INEFFICIENCIES AND BRIBERIES
The law and lack of efficient law enforcement and policing in country as a whole is one of the significant factors that directly affects elections in the country. Unlike what is obtainable in developed countries like Australia, policing is not efficiently carried out in PNG, and this becomes underlying general security problems for the community not only during the election periods but during a typical day to day life.
Lack of policing/law enforcement in the country becomes the main security issue. In addition to this, policing is difficult sometimes because of the lack of government services and infrastructures like road links, and many more, combined with the police lacking local knowledge, and this makes it very hard for law enforcement agents to exercise their policing duties freely and effectively.
During election festive, it becomes undeniable that police are not willing to provide needed security. The province or electorates in PNG are vast and remote; hence police are divided and scattered (not intact); and they cannot adequately provide peace and security.
Sometimes they can accept bribes and take no action when the hijack of ballot papers, boxes, or when the disorder in the polling booths are reported and ongoing. What frequently happens is they (police and army and other security personnel) watch and let the people act as they wish. The lack of policing efficiency directly affects elections and most of the time police and election securities accept briberies to allow rigging of the elections.
The core objective of WES is to go around the problems associated with policing inefficiencies and bring human involvement in the election process to the barest minimum and reduce the tendency of selfish desires to determine the turnout of elections in the nation. After the elections, enemies are created between supporters and the problems are often brought back to the societies and add on to the law and order crisis we already have in the country. By using WES, elections will be very peaceful as WES system automates most areas of elections, leaving no reason for supporters to fight each other. By doing so, it will be the biggest contribution by WES towards the country easing law and order crisis.
BUYING OF VOTES AND LACK OF VOTERS’ PRIVACY, SECRECY AND SECURITY
Election campaign period leading up to the polling period is usually a time when village people expect a visit and a handout from candidates.
Polling booth is much focused area where every candidate’s campaign committees and general supporters make sure you vote for the candidate who had induce you some form of bribes, and also supporters compete against each other to rig polling, forcing electoral officers to validate their illegal double voting etc.
Polling booth/area is very important strategic spot where millions of Kina are poured and angry supporters and sponsored gangs clash and kill each other over ballot boxes.
Decentralizing polling area and allowing people to vote from anywhere anytime would mean solving one of the biggest causes of problems during elections and WES will do that. People receive their ballot cards and can vote peacefully from their homes, work places or even from any other province or country with no one bothering them. Hence this will discourage vote buying as voters will have full privacy, security and secrecy to vote anywhere anytime without being pressured, forced or fear of intimidations.
CORRUPTION IN COUNTING ROOM
Counting room is the final stage of election and the agenda of manipulation of election is high. It is where tempered, hijacked and illegal ballot boxes finally end up for counting.
The key officials inside counting room are predisposed and susceptible to bribery and that is one of the areas many candidates see as an opportunity to play money and manipulate the counting process. The security problem is another factor there.
We have had unsuccessful counting for some constituencies due to the security risks. Southern Highlands Province counting office in Mendi was one notable example during the 2017 National Elections.
It was too dangerous to complete counting in Mendi so was moved to Mt Hagen and Electoral Commissioner discretionally declared the winner at early stage that aggravated feud amongst supporters resulting death toll and millions of Kina worth properties destroyed.
Same turn of events was recorded in other parts of the country and police officers were powerless and killed.
2022 National election outlook shows noting will be different if no new measures are put in place. WES system is designed to take care of those sort of events with “voters’ end” mobile phone-voting, and automated vote counting system on real time.
The score board can be projected to bigger screen for public benefit outside electoral commission office in Port Moresby were only one counting room will be for all elections nationwide. The counting can also be telecasted live. The counting will be automated without human influences and the winner will be declared same day as election ends.
OFFICIAL BRIBERIES AND WANTOK SYSTEM
Bribery is very common and as long as you give money, you can be served in PNG. The weak law and order system makes it resilient for the bribery giver.
Wantok System culture creates a conducive environment in effecting bribery. Though “wan tok system” is accepted as part of our cultural interaction as it helps out in an extended way, we have abused it when applying it to situations such as national elections.
Together with money, it is possible for bribery and manipulations of election and many international observers described 2017 National Election as one of the worst and corrupt election.
Consequently, there were a total of 71 cases of election petition before the National Court of Disputed Returns. Some of those cases, such as Hela regional seat, are still ongoing and before the courts.
Practice of bribery will still exist but WES will corner and go around predisposed areas of bribery and Wantok System’s influence on election. If we take away human control or interference in the main areas of election very fair result will come out. WES automates most part of the elections making it hard for bribery and Wantok System to take effect.
BY-ELECTIONS AND COURT CASES
The level of election irregularities in PNG has made By-Election become a natural occurrence every election year. This indicates that the electoral system in the country is highly flawed.
Candidates who lose at the polls appeal to Court of Disputed Returns and come up with tangible reasons why they ought to have won in the elections. They often state legal breaches and other factors while disputing the winner's declaration.
If the petitioner is successful and wins the Court of Disputed Returns, by-election is one of the reliefs the petitioner usually seeks and the ruling grants that.
This series of events cause the Government through PNG Electoral Commission to spend more than is budgeted on the conduct of by-elections and court cases.
At every election period, PNG experiences situations where hundreds of court cases against declared winners and PNGEC has to fund its extra legal bills. Furthermore, few electorates/seats go back for by-elections costing millions of kina at the expense of taxpayers.
The objective of WES is to fix this significant problem of huge legal expenses and repeated by-elections in PNG, which the current electoral system cannot solve.
The current system has no measure in corruption within the electoral commission elections officials that is placed to minimize or stop the conduct of by-elections in PNG.
However, WES is designed to take care of this problem. WES, when engaged to run elections in the country, will ensure there will never be by-elections. WES platform is designed to generate report of every activities performed and elections conducted. On that report the codes of every voters who voted will be recorded without names to protect their privacy; where and when they voted; how many candidates took part and their respective votes scored, and how winners were declared. If someone were to carry out manual calculation based on the report by applying limited preferential voting (LPV) method (for PNG) the result will be same. This will discourage the courts of dispute of returns as the election report by the WES system itself will be provided to the court to justify integrity of election ran.
EXPENSIVE ELECTION
Elections in PNG have been the most expensive elections in the world and it is one of the problem WES is designed to address. The PNG Government has budgeted K800 million for the 2012 National Election. However, extra unbudgeted costs, foreign aid from Australia and other countries, few by- elections again, Electoral Commission legal costs and many more have significantly increased the overall election related costs to almost 2 billion Kina or more approximately.
In 2017, PNG Government budgeted K600 million plus for the National Election, which later increased even more including extra unbudgeted costs, foreign aid, legal costs for PNGEC , by- elections and many more have so far cost PNG 1.5 Billion Kina approximately. We still have few more by- elections to go back as well as few court cases pending that will further costs us.
One of the main reasons of WES is to cut costs. WES platform will significantly help minimize the cost of running elections. PNGEC when using WES will spend K50 million or significantly less to conduct nation elections in 2022. There won’t be by- elections and court petition after which will further save state even more. Cost is one of the major problems WES is designed to fix. Running of elections through WES will be very cheap even compared to Biometric, Indian or American voting machines etc.
LAW AND ORDER CRISIS
Supporters often fight each other during elections. When the election is over, the conflicts are often brought back to the societies and become law and order issues even after election is over. Most of the fights and social problems in PNG communities are often election related.
WES will solve all those election related law and order and social problems by providing situation that will cause voters to participate in a peaceful elections. Peace and violent- free election events are what country will achieve through the use of WES platform. As WES automates all aspects of conducting elections, it will leave no reason for voters to fight each other before and after elections..
ABOUT
Wabiria Electoral Solution (WES) is an Australian incorporated independent company (ABN: 22173639505) based in Melbourne, Australia. WES innovation is a blockchain-powered technology built to run high-security online elections for government and non-government such as corporate directors, associations, churches, schools, university student elections, community elections and many more. The technology supports different electoral methods such as Limited Preferential Voting (LPV), Singular-Non Transferable Voting (SNTV) and First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) systems. WES innovation excels in complex, high-security elections that operates above election corruption and helps voters achieve full democracy. WES was founded by Nicholas Wabiria, a Papua New Guinean Aerospace Engineer and a graduate of Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT). The directors and all key personnel of the company have no political affiliations or interests that could compromise the independence or integrity of elections run, involve, or paid for using our system.
WES system is patented and covered by “Copyright 2019, Wabiria Electoral Solution”. Reproduction of these expressive technical feathers or similar idea will be deemed infringement under the copyright act 2000
