1st June 2012.

Mr John Killion Taleo

Chairman, Electoral Commission

PMB 9033

Port Vila.

Dear Chairman,

Request for inclusion of certain areas of greater Port Vila in Schedule 7 of “Representation of the Peoples Act”

I am writing as MP for Port Vila to request that the Electoral Commission urgently consider proposing another amendment to the “Representation of the Peoples Act” to correct the effect of the amendment made in the 1st Ordinary Session of Parliament of 2012 in May which effectively makes it illegal for 100’s of voters in Port Vila constituency to be able to vote in the coming General Election.

I am referring to the new section 9A(1) which states:

“If a person resides outside the constituencies of Port Vila and Luganville in the areas listed in Schedule 7, the person may choose to be registered in the electoral list for a polling district in the constituencies of Port Vila or Luganville if:

(a) the person in employed within the constituencies of Port Vila or Luganville and the person’s island of origin is not Efate or Santo; or

(b) the person is not employed within the constituencies of Port Vila or Luganville or is unemployed, and the person’s island of origin is not Efate or Santo.”

Schedule 7 lists these areas for Efate as “Manples area, Beverley Hills area, Belle View area, Salili area, End of International airport area, Bladiniere area, Part of Manples, Tamalesi area, Areas behind Chikau Store & Cellovila at Tebakor up-to opposite Kawenu Demonstration School, Malapoa area, Blacksands area, Etas area, Teouma Ville area, Copravi area.”

There are some important areas omitted from this list, however, where 100’s of people already registered to vote in Port Vila (with Red Cards) reside, these being:

1. Ohlen Freswind area

2. Switi area

3. Erakor Bridge area

4. Erakor Haf-Rod area

5. Prima area.

My concern is that by not including these areas in Schedule 7, the new amendment to the Act effectively DOES NOT ALLOW THEM TO CHOOSE TO BE REGISTERED TO VOTE IN PORT VILA.  But the fact that they are already registered in Port Vila means that if they exercise their right to vote in the Port Vila constituency, they will be in breach of the law.

When I questioned the Minister about this issue in Parliament, he advised that I should raise this issue with the Electoral Commission.  With this letter I am hereby doing that.

A simple amendment to the Act in the next Parliament, by adding the areas I have listed above into the list in Schedule 7, should correct the problem and allow 100’s of voters already registered to vote in Port Vila to legally cast their votes in the forthcoming election.

Thank you for your consideration of this request.

Yours sincerely,

Ralph Regenvanu

MP for Port Vila.

cc - Hon. George Wells, Minister of Internal Affairs

- All Port Vila MP’s: Hon. Moana Carcasses Kalosil, Hon. Edward Nipake Natapei,

Hon. Maxime Carlot Korman, Hon. Patrick Crowby Manarewo, Hon. David Abel

- Lawson Samuel, Principal Electoral Officer, Electoral Office, PMB 9033, Port Vila.

- Martin Tete, Member, Electoral Commission, PMB 9033, Port Vila.

- Daniel Bule, 1st PA, Ministry of Internal Affairs.

- Media.