Ulawa Ugi Returning Officer ‘refutes’ claims

By lionel Taorao, Masi Stringer  Ulawa

The Returning officer for Ulawa Ugi constituency has refuted claims made by concerned public and candidates of the North Ulawa ward on Ulawa Island in the Makira Ulawa province on the selection of polling officials to work at Su’u moli polling station.

Mr. Michael Tanizapa who is the Returning officer for Ulawa Ugi constituency when questioned regarding the allegations made by some candidates and the general public that the Returning officer for North Ulawa Ward allegedly have selected only her immediate family members who are also close relatives of one of the candidates contesting the Provincial elections for North Ulawa Ward answered that the selection of applicants was done on merits.

It was reported that many of the selected applicants who will work as polling officials in the two polling stations in the North Ulawa ward were very close relatives of one of the senior electoral officers for Ulawa as well as a close relative of one of the contenders for North Ulawa ward that sparks public concerned on the assertions.

Some of the candidates contesting the North Ulawa Ward were concerned after learning that the polling officials list for the North Ulawa Ward is not publicized like those of the other two wards on Ulawa saying that something is not right by how things unfold with the selection of the polling officials for Moli polling station.

However, the Returning Officer for Ulawa Ugi constituency Mr. Michael Tanizapa denies any favoritism in the course of selection of the applicants for polling officials and says that everything is done accordingly to process

“The Makira Ulawa electoral office have selected the final applicants from the short listed applicants list we received after screening from the Electoral office and are selected based on merits meaning that they are qualified and have met the requirements for the polling officials jobs”, Mr. Tanizapa confirms.

“It is from this short listed applicants that we make our final selection for each polling stations and those selected were picked from the list provided from the Electoral office”, he adds.

He adds that he is confident that even though they will undergo only two days training for the job because all participants are selected based on merits and he said that his team is prepared well to execute the training for the polling officials who will work during the polling day.

Mr. Tanizapa says that even though a total of more 50 applicants were short listed, the Makira Ulawa electoral office has to pick out only 50 participants to meet the required number of polling officials needed for the posts.

However, it is exact that those selected to work as polling officials in the North Ulawa ward were very close relatives of the Returning Officer for North Ulawa ward and close relatives to one of the candidates contesting the North Ulawa Ward in the provincial elections.

A total of 65 polling officials were selected for Ulawa Ugi constituency; 15 for officials for the three polling stations on Ugi and 50 for the 10 polling stations on Ulawa.

Trainings for the polling officials on Ulawa island should be complete by Monday and deployment of polling officials to their respective stations will take place on Tuesday.