By Zachariah Yakap – Moresby North-West intending candidate
I’VE come to a point where winning or losing doesn’t matter anymore. Honestly, learning first hand of elections and voter expectations has made me worried that even after 45 years of independence; we might still go on like this in a never ending cycle.
Now I understand that we create the environment we are in and later complain that there is: No water, no medicine, no power, no roads, no jobs, no education, no opportunities, no businesses, no policies and no whatsoever!
Is it a failure by the government (Electoral Commission)? The Politicians? The Candidates? The Voters? Where is the problem?
Do I need to attend a ‘haus krai’ to be voted? Do I need to have canvases to be voted? Do I need to feed the voter to be voted? Do I need to do something first to be voted?
What do I do about it?
Firstly, I must not entertain it and I will not. If you feel that I have to do something for you first before you vote for me, you are definitely in the wrong team and I don’t need that dirty vote.
Instead of making it a campaign, I have decided to make this an awareness run where I feel the voters need to be educated that the intending candidates are not here to take care of their problems in order to be voted.
Candidates, if we lone to achieve true liberty for our people and nation in the long run and develop into the country of our dreams, let us stand together and collectively do our part to change the status quo.
We need to change the political landscape for actual development to start taking place where we can be economically independent too.
Win or lose, I must become part of the gradual change that is much needed in order to move forward, a change in mindsets, a change of our old corrupt politics!
I have said no to canvas ‘haus’ in my team’s campaign!
Going forward, I believe the government needs to adequately fund Electoral Commission for awareness every single year, house to house, day in day out, educating the people to a point where we all will agree and say, we now know and understand the importance of voting with conviction, not for convenience.
I believe, one day we will all achieve what we are longing for…