Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai has clarified his date of birth following social media debate about his age and retirement.
Mr Sinai described the recent media publicity as work of spin doctors who had personal vendetta against him and the current Government.
“There has been some media publicity by spin masters and those who have personal vendetta against me and the current government about my age, and I would like to inform the country on my correct dates and settle this issue once and for all,” Mr Sinai said.
He clarified that he was born on the 25 October 1968 and attended Kiripia Primary School, which established by Catholic missionaries in the Tambul Nebilyer Electorate of Western Highlands Province.
“I was told of my birth date by the Catholic missionaries. This is how I know my birth date and the date has been captured in my official authorized government documents, such as my birth certificate and passport. I don’t know where else they are getting their information to publicly discuss my personal information,” Mr Sinai said.
“I got married in 1991 when I was 23 years old, and my first born child now 31 years of Age, I started working with the PNG Electoral Commission in 1989 when I was 21 and this is now my 35 years of service to the Electoral Commission.”
Mr Sinai said there is been too much publicity regarding his personal information and he is concerned about where people were getting their information.
“Back to that days there were not many hospitals and clinics to record the births. Most births occurred in the village and illiterate parents never have records for our births. The only time we know about our birth dates is when we attended schools and the missionaries or teachers would give us their best estimates. So my birth date was given to me by the Catholic priest in Kiripia primary school when I went to do my grade one. That is the date I remember and is stated in the official documents.
“If there are some other birth dates days peddled around in the social media space then I am not aware of those dates and people must stop speculating rumors to claim their vendetta against me or the office I hold.”
Mr Sinai also reminded the Parliamentary Appointments Committee that he had three more years to work for the Electoral Commission and he is not 60 years old as claimed in the social media.
Sinai said, his four-year employment contract was still current and he was still the Electoral Commissioner managing the LLG elections.
He added that he still had two more months to run the office before the end of his first term.
Mr Sinai said such rumors were not good for all concerned and urged Electoral Commission staff to remain focused on the LLG elections.