Wide Interest

In N. Guinea Elections

Three major developments of

the past month in the Papua-New Guinea political scene were the

announcement of election day,

the indication of an additional

candidate for New Britain, and

the withdrawal of two men who

had been possible candidates.

r:E elections will be on March 18, and will be the first for the newly-recomposed P-NG Legis lative Council. The number of elec torates is doubled and there is pro vision for election of native as well as non-native members.

The new candidate who nominated for New Britain is Rabaul district planter Ronald H. Levi. Levi, who is opposed to the new United Pro gress party, and will fight out the poll with one of the founders of the party, Don Barrett.

An expected candidate who has withdrawn is Peter R. K. Murray, leaving a straight-out contest in New Guinea Islands between William J. Meehan (endorsed candidate of the UPP) and Paul E. Mason (self styled “anti-party” independent).

Bunting Not Standing

Another strongly-rumoured starter who has now announced firmly that he will not stand for election in any electorate is R. F.

Bunting. Bunting is an appointed member of the present Council, but it was expected that he might put up for election in Eastern Papua.

There has been little change since last month in the native election scene.

The only definite native starters so far are Port Moresby transport operator Willie Gavera, and Mahuru Rarua-Rarua, a sitting nominated member, also of Port Moresby.

Native councillors will be selected, and then elected, under an electoral college system instead of on a voters’ roll system as used for the non-native elections.

Here are details of the non-native nominations as they were early in January:

The Details

• In New Guinea Highlands; lan Downs, former elected member. • In New Guinea Coastal: Lloyd Hurrell, sitting member. • In New Britain; Don Barrett, sitting member, and Ron Levi. • In New Guinea Islands: Bill Meehan and Paul Mason will nom (Over)

inate; Peter Murray has withdrawn his intention to nominate. • In Western Papua: Craig Kirke, sitting member, is strongly rumoured to be considering renomination; the UPP is calling applications for endorsement. • In Eastern Papua: R. F. Bunting, a member of the Council by appointment, has announced he will not nominate for election; the UPP is calling applications for endorsement.

Electoral rolls will cose on January 31, nominations will be received up to 4 p.m. on February 7, and the new Council will meet for the first time on April 10. in cases where electorates have been divided in two, there is no need for electors to re-enroll—the changes will be made automatically in the new rolls. Electors have been advised, however, to check their new listings with any electoral office.

Probably the most significant of the changes which occurred in the past month was the withdrawal of Peter Murray from the running in New Guinea Islands Firct fandidatP rirsr Lanaiaare Murray, a New Ireland planter, was the first potential candidate to come on the scene. Then the UPP announced that it would nominate Bill Meehan, also of New Ireland, as its official candidate. Soon afterwards, Paul Mason, of Bougainville, announced that he would stand.

Mason said he was opposed on principle to political parties in New Guinea, although he had no argument with the party’s specific policy.

A few days before Christmas, Murray announced that he was withdrawing in favour of Mason and that his organising committee was endorsing his action.

Hot Old

Santa

Santa Claus has been coming to the Islands for so long now that one would have thought he would have got himself a proper hot weather outfit - long red socks and open necked shirt, perhaps.

But, no, he still wears the same old overheated outfits — as he did in Vila in December. He did move with the times in one regard— he arrived by New Hebrides Airways Rapide.

Photo: Reece Discombe