The announcement by Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai confirming six new parliamentary electorates, including a dedicated seat for the Motu-Koita people of Port Moresby, arrives wrapped in the comforting language of representation and progress. Sinai declares it "a must" and a "big change." Yet, beneath this veneer of inclusivity lies a deeply flawed approach that risks exacerbating Papua New Guinea's profound electoral challenges rather than solving them. While the intent to address historical marginalization like that faced by the Motu-Koita is commendable, the execution is misguided and potentially dangerous without fundamental systemic reform.
The Illusion of Empowerment:
Granting the Motu-Koita their own electorate is a long-overdue recognition of their unique status as traditional landowners in the heart of the nation's capital. However, reducing complex historical grievances and the need for genuine self-determination to a single parliamentary seat is tokenism. True empowerment requires robust mechanisms for land rights, resource revenue sharing, cultural preservation, and meaningful local governance – areas where the Motu-Koita Assembly itself has often struggled for real authority. A lone voice in a 102-member parliament, easily drowned out by party politics and executive dominance, is unlikely to deliver the transformative change Sinai suggests. Crucially, Sinai's statement that it will be "for the indigenous people to contest" raises immediate questions: How is "indigenous" defined? Does this exclude Motu-Koita living outside specific boundaries? Could it create new internal divisions?
The Perils of Proliferation:
The core problem Sinai himself is tasked with solving is not a lack of MPs, but the dysfunction surrounding how they are elected and how parliament operates. PNG's elections are notoriously plagued by:
- Violence and Intimidation: Deadly clashes, voter coercion, and the destruction of ballot boxes remain endemic.
- Logistical Chaos: Inadequate voter rolls, poor planning, and delayed results undermine credibility.
- Corruption and Malpractice: Vote-buying, bribery, and manipulation of the counting process are rampant.
- A Weak and Overburdened System: The Electoral Commission consistently lacks the resources, capacity, and sometimes the impartiality to manage existing electorates effectively.
Adding six new electorates immediately increases this burden exponentially. It demands:
- Redrawing Boundaries: A process historically fraught with accusations of gerrymandering and political interference.
- New Infrastructure: Establishing new electoral offices, training new staff, and securing resources in potentially underdeveloped areas.
- Increased Complexity: Managing more candidates, more ballots, and more counting centers in an already overwhelmed system.
Sinai vaguely mentions "implementing reforms" and "changing methods," but offers zero concrete details. Promises of "faster counting" are meaningless without addressing the root causes of delays: violence, corruption, and incompetence. Expanding the electorate map before demonstrably fixing these core issues is like building extra rooms onto a house with crumbling foundations.
Governance at Scale?
Furthermore, PNG's parliament already struggles with effectiveness. Increasing the number of Open seats to 102, on top of Provincial seats, risks creating an even more unwieldy, fragmented, and potentially gridlocked legislature. The focus should be on enhancing the capacity, accountability, and integrity of existing representatives and institutions, not simply adding more bodies to a system struggling to function.
A Distraction from Real Reform:
Sinai's announcement, particularly his praise for the relatively smooth Motu-Koita Assembly election (a much smaller, localized exercise), feels like a distraction. It allows the government and the Electoral Commission to point to a headline-grabbing "reform" while sidestepping the far more difficult task of tackling the deep-seated rot within the national electoral process. The Motu-Koita deserve recognition, but using their legitimate claim as justification for a potentially destabilizing expansion without accompanying, verifiable systemic fixes is irresponsible.
The Path Forward:
The desire for better representation is valid. However, PNG needs:
- Radical Electoral Reform FIRST: Concrete, well-resourced plans to combat violence, corruption, and logistical failures must be transparently developed, funded, and implemented before considering boundary changes. Independent oversight is crucial.
- Empowerment Beyond the Seat: For the Motu-Koita, meaningful negotiation on land, resources, and local governance autonomy must accompany the symbolic act of creating a seat.
- Strengthening Existing Governance: Focus on improving the effectiveness and accountability of current MPs and provincial/local-level governments.
- Transparent Boundaries Process: Any redistribution must be conducted with utmost transparency, free from political interference, and based on clear, objective criteria.
Commissioner Sinai’s "big change" is a significant administrative shift. But without confronting the harsh realities of PNG's broken electoral system, adding six new seats risks being six new stages for the same old problems of violence, corruption, and disillusionment. True progress demands fixing the foundation, not just adding more floors to a shaky structure. Token representation without genuine reform is not empowerment; it’s a potentially dangerous illusion. PNG's democracy deserves better.