Confusion Over Sinai’s Age Sparks Appointment of Vagi as Acting PNG Electoral Commissioner
Confusion over the actual age of PNG Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai has forced the Electoral Commission Appointments Committee to appoint senior officer Margaret Vagi as Acting Electoral Commissioner. Prime Minister James Marape announced the appointment in Parliament, confirming that official documents suggested Sinai had exceeded the compulsory retirement age of 60.
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| Confusion Over Sinai’s Age Sparks Appointment of Vagi as Acting PNG Electoral Commissioner |
Mrs Vagi, the Commission’s Operations Director, brings extensive experience as the country prepares for the 2027 national election. Sinai’s term, issued in December 2021, expires next month.
Mr Marape said the Committee had acted on documents showing Sinai had already turned 60, limiting his contract to four years.
But Madang MP Bryan Kramer challenged the conflicting age records, revealing that the Commissioner had supplied three different birth years—1962, 1965 and 1968—during his tenure. Kramer pointed to Personnel Management files listing Sinai’s birth as 25 November 1962, exceeding the retirement limit.
He said Sinai presented a new NID certificate in 2024 listing 1965, followed by yet another in 2025 showing 1968. Kramer added that Sinai then publicly insisted he was 57 while denying the authenticity of the documents he lodged.
As Chair of the Appointments Committee, Kramer pressed the Prime Minister on the legality of Sinai’s role.
“Section 14 bars anyone over 60 from acting. With departmental records showing Sinai was born in 1962, on what lawful authority does he continue to act?” he asked.
Kramer further requested that all original government records—including payroll files, licences and multiple NID certificates—be tabled in Parliament.
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