By DALCY LULUA
MINISTER for Bougainville Affairs Manaseh Makiba has provided an update to Parliament on the progress of the Bougainville peace process and the next steps toward a final decision on the Bougainville Independence Referendum.
Responding to a question from North Bougainville MP Francesca Semoso, Mr Makiba said the issue remained a significant national matter affecting not only the people of Bougainville but the entire country.
He said he would deliver a detailed ministerial statement on the matter, likely during next week’s sitting. However, he briefly outlined the progress made since the signing of the Melanesian Agreement on June 26 last year.
Minister Makiba explained that following the referendum held in 2019, consultations had been ongoing between the National Government and the Autonomous Bougainville Government as required under Section 342 of the Papua New Guinea Constitution.
He added that the most recent consultations were held in New Zealand, where leaders signed the Melanesian Agreement. The agreement was signed by Bougainville President Ishmael Toroama and Prime Minister James Marape.
The minister acknowledged that negotiations between the two governments have not been easy, despite the referendum result where 97.7 percent of Bougainville voters supported independence.
He said the National Government’s position during consultations has been that the referendum included two options for voters-greater autonomy and independence-and therefore the final outcome must be carefully considered before being presented to Parliament.
“The position of the Autonomous Bougainville Government has been that the National Government should simply endorse independence because it was the overwhelming majority result,” Mr Makiba said.
He stressed that under Section 342 of the Constitution, the National Government did not have the authority to make that decision on its own, as the final determination must be made by the National Parliament.
Mr Makiba also revealed that delays had occurred because there was no clear procedure in the Constitution or Parliament’s standing orders to formally present the referendum results for Parliament to decide on.
Under the Melanesian Agreement, both parties agreed to resolve this issue. The matter has now been referred to the Speaker of the National Parliament and the Speaker of the Bougainville House of Representatives to establish a process through a sessional order.
Once the process is introduced and adopted in Parliament, the referendum results can be formally tabled for debate and a final decision.
Mr Makiba said advice from the Parliamentary Clerk indicates the process is now about 90 percent complete.
He also highlighted the work of the Bipartisan Parliamentary Committee on Bougainville Matters, which has been consulting citizens across the country on the referendum outcome.
The committee, chaired by Rabaul MP Dr Allan Marat, had completed its nationwide consultations and is expected to table its report soon.
Minister Makiba said the report would allow MPs to review the findings and debate the issue before making a final decision on the Bougainville referendum result.
“The National Parliament will ultimately make the final decision on the Bougainville referendum outcome as required by the Constitution,” he said.