A top Russian general gave some of the most detailed public remarks to date on Russia's military strategy in Ukraine, claiming on Friday that the "first stage" of Russia's military plan is now complete, with their primary focus now centered on eastern Ukraine. "In general, the main tasks of the first stage of the operation have been completed," Colonel General Sergei Rudskoy, first deputy chief of Russia's General Staff, said in a Friday briefing. "The combat potential of the armed forces of Ukraine has been significantly reduced, allowing us, I emphasize again, to focus the main efforts on achieving the main goal - the liberation of Donbas." Rudskoy's remarks come as Russia's advances appear to have stalled around major Ukrainian cities such as Kyiv and Kharkiv. Russia has also failed to achieve air superiority in Ukraine and has suffered heavy losses of personnel since the start of the invasion. "The public and individual experts are wondering what we are doing in the area of ​​the blockaded Ukrainian cities," Rudskoy said. "These actions are carried out with the aim of causing such damage to military infrastructure, equipment, personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the results of which allow us not only to tie down their forces and prevent them from strengthening their grouping in the Donbas, but also will not allow them to do this until the Russian army completely liberates the territories of the DPR and LNR." Rudskoy was referring to the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, separatist territories in eastern Ukraine that Russia recognized on the eve of its invasion. Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that the goal of what Russian officials refer to euphemistically as the "special military operation" in Ukraine is the complete demilitarization of the country. Putin has said the war is going according to plan, but Russian forces have incurred serious losses: Rudskoy said in the same briefing that 1,351 military personnel had been killed in Ukraine and 3,825 had been wounded. US, NATO and Ukrainian officials estimate the Russian casualty count is much higher. "Initially, we did not plan to storm them in order to prevent destruction and minimize losses among personnel and civilians," Rudskoy said. "And although we do not exclude such a possibility, however, as individual groupings complete the tasks set, and they are successfully solved, our forces and means will be concentrated on the main thing -- the complete liberation of Donbas." It is unclear if Rudskoy's statement implies a shifting of the goalposts for the Russian military, or just represents a change in public messaging. The Russian military has claimed it is not targeting civilians or residential areas, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. SOURCE: CNN NEWS

South Sydney Rabbitohs head coach Jason Demetriou praised Latrell Mitchell following his side’s 28-16 win over crosstown rivals the Sydney Roosters. Additionally Demetriou was incredibly proud of the work Rabbitohs’ centre Latrell Mitchell has done on and off the paddock, crediting the 24-year-old’s maturity. “Through the preseason his discipline off the field and the things he’s doing in and around that.” Demetriou said. “He’s maturing as well and we’ve said that before, he’s living what he’s speaking about as well which is important. “I know the impact he’s had in the changing room as well.” The last time Latrell took on his former club it saw him suspended for six games for his his reckless shot on Roosters’ centre Joey Manu. Not too mention the multiple scuffles and melees. A large majority of the hype leading in the Round 3 encounter focused on Mitchell and whether the Roosters were out to seek revenge, however Latrell allowed his game to speak for himself scoring a try in the 66th minute and notching four from five from the tee. Rabbitohs’ captain Cameron Murray was also pleased with Mitchell’s performance commending the work Latrell did in the offseason to his game. “He’s (Latrell Mitchell) been pretty excited all preseason to get back out there.” Murray explained. “I know it hurts not being able to get out there Round 1 so he’s been working really hard on his body and his fitness and I think he’s only going to get better. “(We’re) really pleased with the result I thought Latrell played really well tonight.” The Rabbitohs will be eager to build on their success next Friday when they take on reigning premiers the Penrith Panthers at BlueBet Stadium. SOURCE: FOX SPORTS

South Pacific’s largest commercial broadcaster, Communications Fiji Limited which is the parent company of Legend FM, FM96, Viti FM, Navtarang, Radio Sargam and fijivillage, has announced a final group after tax profit of PGK1,345,549.49 (K1.34m)   for the year ended December 31st 2021. CFL Group Chairman, William Parkinson says the result is a strong one considering the challenges faced in both Fiji and Papua New Guinea. Parkinson says CFL Fiji recorded an improved in performance delivering an after-tax profit of K614, 861.18 He says this performance is significantly stronger than the previous year as the 2020 result was boosted by a substantial increase in the valuation of CFL’s 50% subsidiary 231 Waimanu Rd Limited. PNG FM recorded an after-tax profit of K762, 669.19 The decline in profit resulted from the arrival of the third wave of COVID late in the year plus the declining value in the Kina. Communications Fiji Limited has also announced a final dividend of 4 cents per share. This takes dividends paid out for the year ended December 31st 2021 to 8 cents per share. CFL shares will go ex-benefit on April 11th. The record date will be April 14th and the dividend will be paid out on April 26th. Looking ahead, Parkinson says CFL comes out of this difficult time with a strong balance sheet and well equipped to tackle the future. He also says PNG FM expects to commence construction of its new studio complex in late 2022 and CFL is enjoying good revenue growth from online media ventures like fijivillage.com. Parkinson says Papua New Guinea and Fiji both face national elections in the coming year and this makes forecasting very difficult. However he says CFL radio and online products are strong and so they are ready. Source: fijivillage.com

#March4TB. #coveryourcough. #InvestToEndTB #EndTB World TB Day was established to mark the discovery in 1882, of the bacteria that causes Tuberculosis. Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. Over 100 years later, there are drugs to cure TB and better diagnostic services. However worldwide, TB still kills over 4,100 people every day. Here in the NCD we still have some of the worst rates of TB in the world. After two years of a global COVID-19 pandemic, celebrating World TB is an even more important occasion. COVID has disrupted our progress to End TB. · Measures to reduce the burden of COVID-19 have reversed years of progress in our fight to reduce sickness and death from TB. · COVID disruptions mean TB case notifications were reduced in 2020 and 2021 as compared to 2019. World TB Day is also an opportunity to raise awareness of the size of the TB problem in PNG, and refocus our efforts on achieving PNG’s goal to end TB. The theme for World TB Day 2022 “INVEST TO END TB. SAVE LIVES” We need everyone to invest time, money and energy to reduce PNG’s terrible TB burden We need to invest in TB, because it is PNG’s deadliest infectious disease. · About 40,000 people in PNG were sick with TB last year · A quarter of them are children · A majority people sick with TB are of working age · Over 4000 people died last year from TB last year · About 1000 of them were here in the NCD On World TB Day with our colleagues from NCD PHA we celebrate our successful TB treatment of 40,000 of people in PNG last year. Our TB clinics, family screening programs, childhood vaccination, prevention therapy and campaigns like #coveryourcough have prevented more cases of TB. Thank you! The TB problem is huge worldwide and in the NCD. · Worldwide 1.5 million people died of TB and 10 million were sick with TB last year. · PNG, is one the 30 highest TB affected countries in the world. However, most countries do not have a TB problem. · Only 30 countries account for nearly all TB deaths and TB sickness across the world. PNG can get out of this terrible club! · TB treatment success rates can improve. The current treatment success rate is 71%. · With your investment in TB education and support this rate can be 100%. It will save lives and reduce the rising rate of drug resistant TB · NCD is the focal point of PNG’s TB crisis COVID means double trouble. The National Capital District is the province with highest burden of TB in the country and the majority of COVID-19 cases have also been reported in NCD. Of all the COVID cases in PNG, a quarter of them were in the NCD · Of the 38,222 confirmed COVID-19 cases in PNG, 27% (10,339) of cases were in NCD. · For TB the NCD registered a 14% (972 case) decrease in TB case notifications in 2020, from 6,819 in 2019 to 5,849 cases in 2020 and the reduction is even more in 2021. This is attributed to COVID-19 lockdowns and interruptions in service availability. Therefore, it is everyone’s responsibility to help Invest to end TB, individually, and as a nation. · invest your money, time and effort in helping people with TB to get tested and treated. · raise awareness about TB in your communities, workplaces, schools and homes. B4H has a song to learn to raise awareness with a great tune to go with it! - · Every one of us can teach people that TB is treatable and curable, but TB is a killer disease if neglected. TB signs and symptoms · coughing for more than two weeks, · coughing up blood, · weight loss, · night sweats or · shortness of breath We need help to support people to get into NCD TB services. The staff are excellent! Free TB testing is at: Gerehu Hospital, Kaugere, Gordon’s near the police station, Tokarara, Badili, Lawes Road clinic, 6-mile clinic, St Therese’s Hohola, 9mile clinics, 3mile JBK clinic, Pari. TB is not normal. Coughing is not normal. Dying of TB is not acceptable. PNG’s rates of TB place an enormous burden on families, workplaces and hospitals. TB has been eliminated from most of countries and PNG can do the same if we all work together and invest in TB to save lives. With your time and effort, we can look forward to a healthier NCD and a healthier and wealthier PNG. Em Tasol #coveryourcough Background PNG, one of the 30 high TB and MDR-TB burden countries in the world. The estimated incidence of TB was 441 per 100,000 populations in 2020, which is one of the highest globally and in the Western Pacific Region. TB treatment success rate stands at 71% in 2020. TB is a leading cause of death in PNG and PNG’s deadliest infectious disease. Current COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted delivery of TB services in Papua New Guinea. TB case notifications have been reduced by 8% in 2020 and 21% in 2021 as compared to 2019.There are 40,000 people sick, 4000 die, a quarter are children, most are of working age. The National Capital District is the province with highest burden of TB in the country and the majority of COVID-19 cases have been reported in NCD. As of 6 February 2022, there were 38,222 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country and 27% (10,339) of cases were in NCD. The NCD registered a 14% (972 case) decrease in case notifications in 2020, from 6,819 in 2019 to 5,849 cases in 2020 and the reduction is even more in 2021. This is attributed to COVID-19 lockdowns and interruptions in service availability.

Congratulations to an amazing athlete, Dika Toua on graduating from the Royal PNG Constabulary Bomana Police College this morning. A Team PNG HERO Athlete, Pacific & Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist and 5 time Olympian who is preparing to represent PNG again at the Northern Marianas Pacific Mini Games 2022 in June and Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games in July, Dika has finally advanced her journey in realising her dream to join one of the disciplinary forces. Graduating as a Police reservist, she says this is the pathway to becoming a regular Police Officer when she looks at life after her sporting career. Dika feels honoured and privileged to have been selected among other Motu Koitans and is eager to serve the community in the area of law and order. Congratulations Dika, you continue to Inspire. Source: Team PNG FB page

Prime Minister James Marape has commended Lands and Physical Planning Minister John Rosso on passage of the Strata Title Management Bill 2022 and accompanying bills and amendments in Parliament today (March 23 2022). The bill allows for people to buy units and apartments in high-rise buildings because of increasing shortage of land and a growing population. PM Marape said the law was brought in to modernise the way business was done in lands and housing in the country. The Prime Minister said smaller Pacific countries like Fiji and Vanuatu already had strata title laws “This is a response to our country’s need for housing,” he said. “The minister has worked very hard on this at the sunset of this term of Parliament.” PM Marape said it should not be forgotten that only 3 per cent of the 462,000 square km of land in the country was State-owned. He said with the ever-increasing demand for land, there was a need for cheaper housing, and the new law provided for this so people could buy units and apartments in high-rise buildings. PM Marape said this law was just one of many that his Government had passed since it came into Office in May 2019. “This law was first talked about 20 years ago,” he said. “It may seem just like any ordinary Act of Parliament that we’re passing today, however, far that. “This has a direct value on the economy. “If one person owns a piece of real estate in an urban area and decides to build a 20-floor building, in which you can find over 60-70 units, these can be individually titled out. “You don’t need to own a piece of land to have title to an apartment that you can call as home. “This is a law to modernise some of the legacy issues that we have carried through.” PM Marape thanked both sides of Parliament for giving their support for passage of the new law.

Papua New Guinea has locked in a semi-final spot in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Oceania Qualifiers, beating Fiji 2-1 in a dramatic game at Grand Hamad Stadium in Doha. PNG came into the match knowing that a draw would be enough for them to advance, as they had a superior goal difference. However, coach Bob Morris was after a win as his side looked to build on a brave loss to New Zealand and high energy win over New Caledonia by attacking from start to finish. The Fijians certainly would have been forgiven for being a little shell shocked after their 4-0 loss to New Zealand earlier in the week. After a tentative start by both sides, Tevita Waranaivalu decided to take matters into his own hands after 12 minutes and sparked a counterattack that saw the ball end up with Setareki Hughes on the left-hand edge of the box. His curling low cross back inside was inch-perfect for Waranaivalu to stretch out and finish a fantastic goal that put Fiji ahead. Some wonderfully patient work by Fijian skipper Roy Krishna and Sairusi Naulabu set up Hughes for a good chance to double the lead, but his shot went wide. This seemed to sting PNG into life, with a nice ball setting up Tommy Semmy to take possession in the box and cut back beautifully. His shot was on target but tipped over the bar by Mohammed Alam, but his counterpart Ronald Warisan pulled off an even more spectacular effort at the other end not long after. Krishna looked to have set up Naulabu with a low cross, but Warisan charged out and blocked the shot with his feet in an impressive piece of aerobatics. However, the big moment of the match followed just as halftime loomed, with Waranaivalu getting sent off for an elbow to the head of Jacob Sabua. Referee Abdul Al Ruaile had no hesitation in showing a red after the off the ball contact. This proved to be a serious momentum shift, which culminated in one of the goals of the tournament by PNG striker Ati Kepo. His stunning turn of pace from almost halfway saw him run into the box and finish beautifully to draw PNG level. They continued the domination after the break, with Semmy hitting the side netting twice in the space of five minutes. Semmy had a golden chance with a wide-open goal not long after, but his shot was found the backside of defender Remeru Tekiate and bounced away. But it didn’t matter too much, as in the 63rd minute he finished off a sweeping move with a much better strike to put PNG ahead. It was then Warisan’s turn to shine again at the other end as Fiji desperately searched for an equaliser, putting his body on the line to deny Naulabu for a second time. Raymond Gunemba should have put it out of reach for PNG in the 82nd minute, but his shot from close range was blocked by replacement goalkeeper Isikeli Sevanaia. In the end, it didn’t matter as PNG held firm in a frantic final stage. The 2-1 win sends the Kapuls through to a semi-final against the Solomon Islands on Sunday Qatar time, however it means that Bula Boys will be heading home from the Oceania Qualifiers. Fiji 1 (Tevita WARANAIVALU 12’) Papua New Guinea 2 (Ati KEPO 45’+2’, Tommy SEMMY 63’) Half-time: 1-1 Fiji 1 Mohammed ALAM (GK), 5 Remueru TEKIATE, 6 Inoke TURAGALAILAI, 8 Setareki HUGHES, 9 Roy KRISHNA (c), 12 Tevita WARANAIVALU, 13 Rahul NARESH, 14 Sairusi NALAUBU, 16 Atonio TUIVUNA, 18 Lekima GONERAU, 20 Ashnil RAJU Substitutions: 22 Isikeli SEVANAIA (GK), 23 Akuila MATEISUVA GK, 2 Peter RAVITISAI, 3 Muni Shivam NAIDU, 7 Anish KHEM, 10 Nabil BEGG, 11 Edward AARON, 17 Patrick JOSEPH, 19 Afraz ALI Papua New Guinea 20 Ronald WARISAN (GK), 2 Daniel JOE, 4 Alwin KOMOLONG (c), 5 Felix KOMOLONG, 6 Ati KEPO, 8 Michael FOSTER, 13 Tommy SEMMY, 14 Emmanuel SIMON, 15 Stahl GUBAG, 17 Jacob SABUA, 23 Emmanuel AIREM Substitutions: 1 Russel CHRIS (GK), 22 Ila ILAROVA (GK), 3 Godfrey HARO, 7 Raymond GUNEMBA, 9 Patrick AISA, 10 Obert BIKA, 11 Yagi YASASA, 12 Joshua TALAU, 16 Pala PAUL, 18 Kolu KEPO, 19 Koriak UPAIGA, 21 Mathew DAVID SOURCE: OCEANIA FOOTBALL FEDERATION

Despite winning Euro 2020 last year, Italy have missed out on qualifying for the World Cup for a second straight year after being beaten 1-0 by North Macedonia. The Azzurri fired 32 shots across the 90 minutes, but it was Aleksandar Trajkovski’s low drive in the second minute of stoppage time that stunned the European champions in Palermo and set-up a qualifying final with Portugal in Porto on Tuesday for a chance to be in Qatar in November. Roberto Mancini’s side were loudly booed off after a defeat which means Italy will have to wait until at least 2026 to see its national team at a World Cup. By then it will have been 12 years since the Azzurri’s last participation in the world’s biggest football tournament after they failed to qualify for the 2018 edition, also crashing out in the play-offs on that occasion. With the result, it means that Italy’s last World Cup knockout win will remain the 2006 final in which they beat France on penalties and it will be a 20-year drought by the time the 2026 World Cup final rolls around given they don’t miss out for a third time in a row. The football world was stunned, with many perplexed at how the footballing giants could go from the toast of Europe to missing out on football’s showpiece event for the second time running. BRILLIANT BALE BAGS DOUBLE FOR WALES A brilliant double from Gareth Bale took Wales to the brink of a first World Cup since 1958 thanks to a 2-1 win over Austria in Cardiff on Thursday. Robert Page’s men will face Scotland or Ukraine for a place in Qatar later this year after Bale rolled back the years to again produce his best form for his country. Bale’s stunning free-kick and strike into the top corner either side of half-time gave the home side a two-goal advantage. A Ben Davies own goal halved Austria’s arrears, but Wales saw out a tense final quarter to move one match away from ending the 64-year wait to reach the biggest stage in football. Bale has been nearly a non-existent figure during the final year of his contract at Real Madrid. The 32-year-old has played just 77 minutes at club level since the last international break in November and irked his critics in the Spanish capital by declaring himself unfit for Madrid’s 4-0 defeat to Barcelona last weekend. But one swipe of Bale’s wand of a left foot transformed the game and set the home side on course for a famous night. Harry Wilson was cynically hauled down on the edge of the area by Baumgartner. Bale had not scored a free-kick at international level since doing so twice at Euro 2016, but produced the perfect time to find his range with a stunning dipping effort that clipped the underside of the bar on its way past Heinz Lindner. Austria again started the better in the second half with Marko Arnautovic heading a good opening straight at Wayne Hennessey. However, they were again undone by a moment of Bale magic as he collected a loose ball from a corner and arrowed a shot high into the far corner for his 38th international goal in his 101st cap. But they were made to suffer a nervy finale when Bayern Munich’s Marcel Sabitzer’s shot from outside the box deflected in off Davies 26 minutes from time. ALL UEFA WORLD CUP QUALIFIER RESULTS Portugal 3-1 Turkey Wales 2-1 Austria Italy 0-1 North Macedonia Sweden 1-0 Czech Republic SOURCE: FOX SPORTS

Womenfolk in the National Capital District are seeking an update from the Parliamentarians on the agenda of the four regional women’s seats in parliament as well as the update on the actions the government is doing in addressing gender-based violence cases. The women gathered in numbers this morning along the Independence Boulevard to mark the National Womens Day and celebrate the achievements on women in the gender equity and gender equality space. NCD Governor Powes Parkop as well as the members of the Special Parliamentary Committee on Gender Based Violence will address the women later today on the agendas.   Gender Officer at the National Capital District Commission Olivier Sagata said the women have two agendas that they want the Parliamentarians to answer for the people and country to know. “Number one is for them to tell us on the progress of the four regional womens seat and number two is the progress of GBV issues by the Special Parliamentary Committee on GBV,” Ms Sagata said. The women who gathered are from the political wing, SME association groups as well as individual womenfolk throughout the Nation’s Capital.

The Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai has advised the people of Papua New Guinea that his office is now ready to deliver the 2022 National General Elections. Commissioner Sinai made this announcement following the approval of 7 new electorates by Prime Minister James Marape in Parliament on Tuesday. He said the Electoral Boundaries Commission (EBC) has been at work since last July to come up with the boundaries report and redistribution of electoral boundaries and further mentioned that the commission (EBC) is grateful to the Marape-Basil government for accepting the Electoral Boundaries Commission Recommendations and Maps (EBC Report). The new electorates include Delta Fly, Hiri-Koiari, Popondetta, Nakanai, Wau-Waria, Komo-Hulia and Porgera-Paiela. The adaptation of the 7 new electorates now brings the total number of seats to contest for in the 2022 National General Elections to 116. Commissioner Sinai said that population was one of the major determinants in the creation of the 7 new electorates to ensure an equal and fair distribution of resources and equal participation by citizens of this country. “The main goal of the EBC in carrying out its function was to ensure that all open electorates within the country contained approximately the same population within the limits prescribed by the Organic Law on National & Local Level Government Elections.” “This goal is prescribed under the Constitution and the EBC considered this as a determinative factor throughout its operation,” Commissioner Sinai said. The Electoral Boundaries Commission is now calling on the relevant stakeholders and implementing agencies to support and manage these new electorates going forward into the 2022 National General Elections. Commissioner Sinai also said that there are no new LLGs being introduced apart from the existing 331 and so budget has already been factored for these LLGs in the last elections as well as for the upcoming election. He further advised that the EBC only split up the existing electorates within their own boundaries without touching or overlapping the neighboring electorates and so in terms of funding, all LLGs within those new electorates have already been covered in the budget. “With the upcoming elections, we already have polling schedules, polling teams, LLGs and districts aligned. The only difference is we are creating a new name for the electorates.” “To separate them is a matter of moving two locations (electorates) and setting a line, separating them by way of polling schedules and polling arrangements however budgets for these LLGs have already been factored in past elections as well as for the upcoming elections,” said Commissioner Sinai. The Electoral Commission is now looking forward to carrying out polling for the elections and ensuring due diligence for the election process is being adhered to by all parties concerned.

The Office of the Public Service Minister has confirmed a total of 75 public servants under the Government’s Ascender payroll system have resigned to contest the 2022 National General Elections. This excludes those public servants who were employed by other government agencies not on the Ascender payroll. The 75 public servants have resigned before 28th of October, 2021, as per the Public Service Management (Amendment) Act 1995, the Department of Personnel Management Circular Instruction No. 27 of 2021, and the General Orders, which require public servants to resign six months prior to the issue of writs. Public Service Minister, Hon. Joe Sungi said the Department of Personnel Management is working closely with Electoral Commission to monitor public servants who will contest the 2022 National General Election in light of the amendments to the PSMA Act. Minister Sungi has confirmed the 75 public servants who have resigned, have been removed from payroll. He said the Public Service Management Act is very clear and DPM will write to former public servants who will be contesting this year’s election, but have tendered their resignation as ‘normal resignation’ or after the 28th of October, 2021. “If they think they will hide from the law, that’s where we will tighten DPM’s recruitment and selection process. It will be tightened to ensure public servants who have not followed due process to tender their resignations are not recruited back into public service”. DPM has put in place a Technical Working Group, working in consultation with the Electoral Commission and the Office of Registrar of Political Parties. The Technical Working Group has created a database for public servants who have resigned to contest the elections. TWG will work closely with EC to obtain the nomination list to ascertain those who may have resigned in the eleventh hour, and those from the other government agencies, who are not on the Ascender payroll system, and have resigned to contest the 2022 National elections. Parliament passed the amendment to the Public Service (Management) Act 1995, Section 55, which now require public servants to resigned 6 months prior to issue of writs and will only be eligible to re-enter the public service, if they lose the elections, after five years. Minister Sungi said, it is a constitutional right of every citizen to contest, but as public servants, the need to observe the PSMA Act 1995 (as amended) and the General Orders is critical and urge Public Servants and officers of all State Authorities to ensure they abide by the law. The Minister said, final entitlements of the 75 public servants will be done by their respective agencies and sent to DPM for verification and approval for Finance to pay them out. Meanwhile, the DPM will issue a separate circular instruction to advice all agencies, on the engagement of public servants during the 2022 National General Elections.

Any decision by Government to create new electorates with one month of the issue of writs for the 2022 National General Elections, is irresponsible and will adversely impact both the governance and the administration of the elections, says Transparency International PNG (TIPNG). This statement was made in light of media reports stating that the Government would be tabling a report advocating the creation of seven new electorates as Parliament resumes this week. “Papua New Guineans expect our elected representatives to uphold the democratic ideals that underpin our National Constitution. A decision by parliament to create new electorates in the absence of reliable census data, with no gazettal notices, proper broad public consultation as required by the law and with no consideration for the administrative implications in the coming elections is highly irresponsible,” said Peter Aitsi, Board Chair of TIPNG in a media statement. “The voting public are right to wonder, if such a decision at this time is really serving the national interest? We urge our Government not to rush through this process, as they stand the risk of their actions being viewed as creating these new political boundaries purely for political convenience to secure numbers,” said Mr. Aitsi. Under section 36 of the Organic Law on National and Local Level Elections, the boundaries of an open electorate are drawn or revised taking into consideration; the population density; physical features and communications; existing electoral boundaries; Local Level & Provincial Governments and other administrative areas; and community and diversity of interest where it is considered relevant to do so. Under section 41(1) of the organic law, parliament has a time frame of two months to consider the recommendations and it may do any one of the following by way of resolution: • Accept the recommendation wholly; or • Reject the recommendation wholly; or • Reject the recommendation and refer specific matters for reconsideration by the commission TIPNG is calling on the Government to instead focus its attention on addressing the administrative requirements to deliver an effective, free, fair and safe 2022 National General Elections. The introduction of any new electorates would present a significant operational nightmare for the PNG Electoral Commission and Security Forces given the time left to recruit additional manpower, survey polling sites, counting venues and printing of ballot papers.