MOROBE Governor Hon. Rainbo Paita says while Bougainville has conducted its referendum on independence, Papua New Guinea as a country has yet to decide whether to allow Bougainville to separate.
Paita made the remarks during parliamentary debate on the Bougainville referendum results on Wednesday.
He acknowledged the painful history of the Bougainville conflict, which claimed an estimated 20,000 lives, saying both sides suffered greatly.
“For me to say no, it feels wrong. At the same time, saying yes to independence feels like a setback for the country, given where it is now,” he said.
“When there are two paths that both feel wrong — saying yes feels wrong and saying no also feels wrong — choose the path that feels about right,” he said.
Paita said the timing was a major concern, arguing that the Government had yet to fully address the country’s internal security challenges, including the proliferation of illegal firearms and ongoing law and order issues.
He emphasised that the values and ideals upon which Papua New Guinea’s founding fathers built the nation were based on unity, without necessarily anticipating that some parts of the country might seek to separate in the future.
“PNG’s strength together as a nation is stronger, without escaping the reality that Bougainville must be faced head-on,” he said.
Paita also questioned whether the views of the rest of the country had been adequately considered in the process of deciding Bougainville’s political future.
He noted that the Constitutional Planning Committee (CPC) had travelled throughout the country to gather people’s views on the formation and unity of the nation.
“We already got the views of the Bougainvilleans. What about the rest of Papua New Guinea?” he asked.
He challenged the Chairman of the Constitutional and Law Reform Commission to address the outstanding question of
whether the rest of Papua New Guinea should have a say in deciding Bougainville’s future.
“The referendum for Bougainville is done, but what about the referendum for the country to actually let Bougainville go or not?” he asked.
Paita acknowledged that deciding Bougainville’s future was not an easy task, noting that taking a position on the issue could offend some people regardless of the outcome.
He also commended the Prime Minister for the way he was handling the complex issue.
“It’s not an easy task to say yes or no. The burden of deciding on Bougainville is heavy. Sometimes it’s hard to take a position without offending someone,” he said.
The Morobe Governor called on Members of Parliament to respect the importance of the issue and attend parliamentary sessions to contribute meaningfully to the debate on Bougainville’s future.