Remarks by ANDREW S. TRAWEN, CMG, MBE, ELECTORAL COMMISSION

Remarks by  ANDREW S. TRAWEN, CMG, MBE, ELECTORAL COMMISSION Friday 04th May, 2012 EXPECTED ROLE OF THE MEDIA DURING THE 2012 NATIONAL GENERAL ELECTION Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for the opportunity to address you all on the special occasion of the Media Workshop and Media Freedom Day.  Before talking about how I see the role of the media during this year’s National General Election, I want to talk briefly about of the media’s role in democracy more generally.  As you all know, the media plays a critical role in the proper functioning of any democracy.  In any discussion on this topic the media usually focuses on: Providing information to the public on how effectively its representatives have performed and help to hold them to account; Scrutinizing and discussing the successes and failures of governments; and of course The public "watchdog" role. When it comes to a National General Election it can off course be much more than that, with the media undertaking the following roles, assisting with: Educating voters on how to properly exercise their democratic rights; Impartially reporting on the development and progress of the election campaign; Providing a platform for political parties to communicate their messages and their policies to the voting public; Allowing, and sometimes facilitating candidate and political party debates; Reporting results and monitoring polling and counting; and Scrutinizing the electoral process itself in order to evaluate its fairness, efficiency, integrity, transparency, and credibility. It is correct to say the media is not the sole source of information about an election.  As we all know political parties and candidates have a lot to say.  The Electoral Commission itself has embarked on a significant campaign, using television, radio and press, supported for the past two elections by civil society organizations.  Due to our limited funding our contribution to public awareness and information is usually only at the time of the National General Election, and even then only as much as we can afford! In a world dominated by mass communications, you, the media, determine the political scene.   I really need your help with voter education. As you know, the Electoral Commission has been working very hard on planning for this 5 yearly event on our political calendar.  We need to keep voters informed about the issues, about the political parties and candidates, and mostly importantly from the Commission’s view point, providing relevant, impartial and timely information to the public about the importance of the vote, and how to vote. Elections anywhere in the world attract significant media attention. It seems inevitable that this attention mostly focuses on the poll and the count, but I am pleased many of you have given a great deal of coverage to voter registration or voter education. Please give as much coverage as possible to the Limited Preferential Voting or LPV system of voting.  As you know this is only the second National General Election using LPV and five years is a really long time ago for most people.  In particular, the public needs information about the voting process – we refer to it as “How to Vote”.  There is also a need to inform the public about the rather complicated process of how votes are actually counted and how preferences are distributed.  As you will be aware, the Electoral Commission has spent a lot of its public awareness advertising budget on LPV but the more you can also do, the better. There is still a little time before the Electoral Roll closes with the Issue of the Writs on 18 May, so the message about people getting on the Roll is vital. Eligible PNG citizens need to check the Preliminary Rolls that are out with Returning Officers at present to make sure their names appear correctly, in the right Ward, in the right Electorate.  If they are not on the Roll they should seek an Application for Registration Form and complete it, urgently, and give it to the Returning Officer.  Once we get to the poll and then the count I am sure your interest will be at its height. The Electoral Commission has no interest in who wins - just that we conduct a free and fair Election.  We want an election where people can vote without influence, intimidation or violence.  Your support in spreading that message would be of great benefit for Papua New Guinea. Finally, I am pleased to announce that the Electoral Commission will again be setting up a Media Centre for the 2012 National General Election.  The primary purpose of the Media Centre will be to provide a central venue for results reporting, but it will also be the location for a lot of information about the 2012 and previous Elections, and it will be the venue for regular if not daily press briefings. The centre is also a further step by the PNGEC to facilitate and acknowledge the role and the work of the media in our society and ensure greater accessibility to elections information. So as you commemorate World Press Freedom Day by conducting this training program on Elections and Ethics, I urge you to continue to exercise your constitutional role, as enshrined within the constitutional provision of Freedom of the Press, in supporting the work of the Electoral Commission during this most important time in our country. Both the media and the PNG Electoral Commission have such vital roles and responsibilities in Elections 2012. REMEMBER: MEDIA AND ELECTIONS ARE BOTH EXPRESSIONS OF FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHTS.   Thank you for your attention.