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(I'm kaunsil for ward 26. When did you get this work? 26 years ago.
How did you become kaunsil? I won an election and became kaunsil and I've been doing a good job of looking after people. The Pal people stopped and I've been acting as kaunsil.
So there isn't a kaunsil for Absakul? That's me I look after Absakul, Nabalume, Porosa, Ebesil, Tolookum, Kokoma, Pusila and Kobumbua, I'm their kansil. There's a different Kaunsil for Kokomasak and those guys.
What work do you do? There's the national and local government, kaunsil works under the district and province level. The government gives money to the kaunsils to distribute. The work is to look after people.
Is komiti work the same or different? A komiti looks after a single community, the kaunsil looks after the ward. I'm the president of the LLG. The district development office gives national money to the provinces. It's Prime minister, governor, president. This structure came up in 1997, Josephstaal came up and now in 2023 I'm the kaunsil. Long ago axes, spades and machetes were given, today it's a chainsaw. It's good work.
So we're in ward 25 under the middle Ramu MP, do you meet and talk with him?
The MP for middle Ramu is Harwai Kamdaru, I'm the kaunsil. The MP won the election and is now doing work. I as kaunsil go to the office and talk and so they know me. So the MP knows your face? Yes he sees me and talks with me. The government money is talked about, we just give talk. They give us or we don't, we kansil's just talk. We know the government breaks up money and gives and so we just ask, and they may or may not give.
If you want to give up the kaunsil work who will do it next? I'm strong, but there would be an election and the winner would be kaunsil.
Is there an election every year? Every 5 years there are kaunsil elections. They give money every month, K200, K400 sometimes they don't put money
You get fortnight? Yes every 2 months I get K200. Every 3 months they're supposed to give money. but the government doesn't have money so for a long time they haven't paid. They only give the money sometimes.
When you do elections is it with a ballot like in the general election? Yes same as the national government. Then there is a gathering of the kaunsils and the LLG president oversees.
When will the kaunsil election be? 2024, the last was 2019. It's every 5 years.)