28 May 2012

PNG elections are not all about money, says Melanesian Liberal Party leader

12:01 pm on 28 May 2012

The head of Papua New Guinea's Melanesian Liberal Party denies that access to money and resources is essential to winning a seat in next month's general election.

Dr Allan Marat, who is the Attorney General in the O'Neill caretaker government, says voters must be educated about how to vote.

Some government MPs are able to deploy an immense largesse during election time, such as Deputy Prime Minister Belden Namah who has contributed 15 million US dollars to his PNG Party's campaign.

Dr Marat dismisses the suggestion that candidates with the most money tend to prevail.

"My view is that it's not all about money. It's all about educating the voters so that they see very clearly what governance is: you know, looking ahead, to understand the purpose of governance, the benefits that they stand to gain from quality leadership that they empower."

Dr Allan Marat