By ZEBEDEE KUMPIO
A YOUNG Papua New Guinean has developed a prototype for PNG Biometric Voting Application and Centralized Data System to eradicate election fraud and boost proper service delivery in Papua New Guinea.
Dixon Kumis, a 30-year-old Papua New Guinean entrepreneur and software developer, unveiled the prototype for a revolutionary PNG Biometric Voting Mobile Application that can be used for future elections in Papua New Guinea.
Mr Kumis, who is based in Brisbane Australia, is the founder of MonEsmart Pty Ltd, a startup business that is also set to launch a fintech mobile app soon.
The Biometric Voting application is designed to be part of a larger, centralized system that integrates key institutions such as hospitals, schools, and police stations.
“PNG Biometric App must be created by a Papua New Guinean that understands our people, culture, and processes,” Mr Kumis said.
“We must give opportunities to our own people who understand us and our way of life better than foreigners,” he said.
The enthusiastic innovator said his prototype is ready to be developed into a fully functional application upon approval from the Government of Papua New Guinea.
He said the App will be available for download on any smartphone and will be compatible with both iOS and Android operating systems.
Kumis emphasized the benefits of the application, saying, “People can vote from the comfort of their homes without intimidation or coercion”.
“Counting and declaration can be done within minutes by pushing a button of the App,” he said.
“The App can reduce election fraud, voter intimidation, election-related violence, bribery, and election petition court cases.
“It can also reduce election budget of nearly K1billion plus to less than K100 million, saving the GoPNG and PNGEC K900 million plus to spend it on development and other key sectors,” Kumis said.
He said the application will be hosted on secured and highly encrypted cloud platforms such as Google or Amazon.
Mr Kumis emphasized that the administration center will be based in Australia to prevent local manipulation, with call centers and sub-administration centers with controlled access in PNG for support and assistance.
He stated that voting will be accessible only through biometric verification, and custom-made tablets capable of facial and fingerprint recognition, will be used to collect biometric data prior to voting.
Additionally, Mr Kumis said the system will be robust enough to render the traditional census redundant by automatically updating information on age, death, and birth.
He said if a census is required, the project will cost less than K20 million.
Drawing comparisons, Kumis noted that the fully functional system would operate similarly to Australia’s MyGov App or the United States’ Social Security System, providing vital data and statistics to the Government of Papua New Guinea to drive development goals based on accurate data.
“I hope to hear from the right people to see if we can bring this project to fruition so we can help our country move forward,” Kumis expressed, inviting support and collaboration to realize this ambitious project.
