BOUGAINVILLE’S position on the future of its political status is clear, it must now have independence in the next four years.
President Ishmael Toroama outlined Bougainville’s position on its political journey to self-determination saying this will be done through the election of members to the parliament of the Independent State of Bougainville by June 2025.
He was speaking during day one of the first joint governmental consultation process which kicked off yesterday at the Gazelle International Hotel in Kokopo, East New Britain.
The Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) President Toroama said Bougainville wants to be an independent nation with sovereign powers and laws recognised under international law and to be an independent State separate from the State of Papua New Guinea and has a defined territory inclusive of maritime boundaries exclusive of economic zones, capacity to enter and manage relations with other States as well as international organisations and the right to apply for UN membership and capacity to deal with international financial institutions.
Prime Minister James Marape in response to Bougainville’s position said national parliament must attend to this before 2025.
“Certainly this matter must go to parliament in the next 10 years and our President has indicated 2025 as a date for political independence, that means parliament must have a handle on this before 2025,” Mr Marape said.
The PM said the Bougainville Peace Agreement has given an indication that the ratification by Parliament is the final process making it paramount of Parliament to promptly attend to this, in the next few years.
“The comfort I can give to Bougainville under my watch and my generation of leaders and those that share the same wavelength as far as public policy is concerned, we give you our assurance and if Parliament has a handle on this issue and decides to say no to independence, I place on record we will withdraw the motion and go through again another round of consultation,” PM Marape said.
Chairman of the consultation meeting, UN Resident Coordinator, Gianluca Rampolla said the consultation is a historic event.
He said as the joint communique of PM Marape and President Toroama of Jan 11 sets out, this meeting marks the successful implementation of the Bougainville Peace Agreement this far and the success of the two governments in building peace by peaceful means.
“This is something that very few countries emerging from conflict have been able to achieve. I have said this before and I will say it again that the Bougainville Peace Agreement is among the successful peace agreements in the world and it is a testament to the vision and wisdom of leaders that drafted it, negotiated it, agreed to it and up to this day are implementing it,” Mr Rampolla said.
He conveyed UN Secretary General His Excellency Antonio Guterres’ message to the meeting: At a time in which the international community is struggling for peace processes to succeed, consultations that you are embarking on today in the framework of the Bougainville peace agreement are a resounding message to world about the importance of dialogue for peace building.