http://www.tiare.net.pg/independent/news5.htm [ The Independent (PNG), Issue #200, March 19, 1999 ] Bougainville will hold election by Veronica Hatutasi BOUGAINVILLE is proceeding with elections next month to vote members into the Bougainville Constituent Assembly (BCA) to represent the people in dialogues and negotiations with the national government, according to former premier and co-chairman of the assembly Gerard Sinato. A BCA meeting in Arawa today will deliberate on the final details of electoral boundaries and the issuing of writs. Mr Sinato said a lot of people including some politicians misunderstood the situation and pressing issues occurring on Bougainville, particularly the coming election. The controversy over the legal and constitutional issues regarding the elections and the BCA have come under public criticism by the opposition, the legal people and other concerned members of the public saying the arrangements are illegal and unconstitutional while the national government has shifted its position after assessing the impact of the peace process. Mr Sinato said the April election is an interim one to vote in members who will play a preparatory role on the establishment of the Bougainville Reconciliation Government which will be established in June. As such, he said the role of the Electoral Commission was not needed at this stage until the full elections of the BRG. He clarified that when parliament failed to pass the Bougainville Amendment Bill last December and the provincial government was suspended, it created a political space and the absence of a legal government to govern the island. But the peace process continued. To this day, the four national parliamentarians for Bougainville stand divided on the issue with Bougainville regional MP John Momis and Michael Laimo MP for south Bougainville saying the only legal government for the island is the one under the new reforms which was suspended when it came into effect on January 1 this year of which Mr Momis was to become governor. Mr Sinato said the BCA constitution does not override nor talks about the powers of the national government and the constitution but it wants to establish a structure for the BRG, an instrument which will be the mouthpiece for the people of Bougainville. He also said the NEC appointed Mr Akoitai as acting governor to make sure nothing is unconstitutional nor illegal about the bodies being set up until a democratic election is held. Mr Sinato said the different factions on the island (BRA/BIG, resistance, BTG) and the majority of the Bougainville populace want the BRG to be established as a body uniting all groups to remain in dialogue with the national government on the future political settlement of the island. Meanwhile, a woman activist eader says the national parliament and the government must take responsibility of what is happening on Bougainville. Matilda Pilacapio said the stand adopted by the Bougainville government to proceed with the elections show that the national government has definitely lost its plot. She called on the government to immediately recall parliament and deliberate on the issues regarding the island and the issues on hand. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Power for new Boug administration only hurdle: Aust mission by Neville Choi JUST how much power will be given to the controversial soon to be elected Bougainville government is currently the main hurdle faced by the PNG government and peace efforts on Bougainville. This was one view of an Australian Parliamentary delegation who arrived in the country on Monday on a four-day review of Australia's contribution to the Bougainville Peace Process. Led by Senator David McGibbon, the delegation comprised members of the Australian Joint Sub-Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade. Following meetings with senior PNG leaders on Monday the delegation, accompanied by Australian High Commissioner David Irvine travelled to Bougainville to call on the multi-national Peace Monitoring Group and review Australia's peace operations on the island. One aspect of current developments on Bougainville the delegation will have assessed upon their return to Australia is the pending elections for a Bougainville provincial assembly. An election which has received mixed criticisms from both the Government and Opposition. At a pre-departure press conference on Tuesday Senator McGibbon gave a reassurance that there had not been any policy shift by Australia regarding Bougainville and that recent assertions by the Opposition that Australia was not dealing with elected leaders of Bougainville and was instead showing bias toward rebel factions on the island were baseless. "With the greatest respect to the opposition's views, Australia's position, both in public and private, has always been to support the integrity and the sovereignty of the Papua New Guinea government. We have never ever been engaged in any negotiations between any separatist movement or secessionist movement anywhere in Papua New Guinea," Senator McGibbon told reporters. He said that since PNG had gained independence in 1975 Australia's position had remained the same. Senator McGibbon pointed out that anything that happened in PNG was the PNG government's problem and that Australia were always ready to fully cooperate with the wishes of the government. In a statement released on the same day, Senator McGibbon was quoted as saying, "there has been no foreign policy shift by Australia. Australia recognises that Bougainville is part of Papua New Guinea, and respects the territorial integrity of Papua New Guinea. Accordingly, Australia recognises Papua New Guinea's sovereignty over the North Solomons province." Commenting on the coming elections on Bougainville, Senator McGibbon said it was inevitable that some sort of elections would eventually be held on the island and it was Australia's wish that those elections be held in fair, open and transparent way so that the will of all Bougainvilleans was displayed in the outcome. Deputy delegation leader, Dr Andrew Theophanous said that currently, the main hurdle faced by those working toward peace on the island was the issue of "just exactly what power will be given to a new government in Bougainville." "After all, an election is part of a democratic process, and that issue still needs to be debated. I still think it's a question about, from what we've seen from all sides, whether agreement can be reached," Dr Theophanous said. The delegation also allayed fears raised by the Opposition that Bougainville had taken a back seat on Australia's agenda and that Australia's recent policy shift on East Timor was a sign of things to come for Bougainville. "We've not given any money to East Timor yet," Senator McGibbon said, adding that Australia's current and planned commitments to reconstruction on Bougainville totaled over Aus$130 million (K190 million). "There is no possibility at all that Bougainville could be off the Australian priority agenda because they have all the rehabilitation and reconstruction programs," he added. One of the tasks for the delegation was to consider the future of the Peace Monitoring Group on Bougainville. "Though not directly, indirectly we will be considering the future of the Peace Monitoring Group because we want to see the restoration of normal law and order and normalcy come back to the lives of people on Bougainville and if we can facilitate that, we will be very pleased and the sooner all that can be brought about, the better for all concerned that life gets back to normal. And once life gets back to normal there won't be a need for a truce monitoring group," Senator McGibbon said. The delegation was supposed to have returned to Australia yesterday. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Secession a challenge for PNG: Diro THE government and leaders have been urged to work hard to encourage national unity and promote community confidence at a time when both are on the slide. Central province Governor Ted Diro made the remark while deliberating on the present economic and political outlook in the country, particularly issues on Bougainville. Public concerns have been mounting about the legality of next month's election on Bougainville, the drawing of a provincial constitution as well as the interim bodies set to govern the people such as the Bougainville Constituent Assembly and later in the year, the reconciliation government. While the opposition, legal advisors and concerned members of the public brand the moves as encouraging secession, the government says this is done to cement and continue the peace process. Mr Diro said while he does not support secession, it is a challenge which PNG cannot ignore. He does not believe also that the "heavy hand of the law and government should be used to crush reasonable discussion about the future unity of the nation. Secession, he said is a global issue and "even in the mother of democracies such as the United Kingdom debate is being carried on whether Scotland and Wales should breakaway or remain as part of the kingdom." He said it remains a controversial issue in Canada, India and now at our doorstep, Indonesia. Mr Diro said support for secession in the country would come about when people lose hope and faith in the nation's economic, social and political future. He said balanced development in the nation comes about when there is a fair sharing of resources and involvement in the nation's development but in PNG, there is an imbalance, therefore some provinces are well off while others are not. As a result of this, people are dissatisfied and break away movements come about. Mr Diro said every leader who believed that the "unity and harmony" of the nation was paramount had to take stock of the reality of life for most Papua New Guineans. �Wherever I go, I detect a growing loss of faith and confidence in the country's future and the ability of the nation to offer families the standard of living and the opportunity to succeed. "I also detect a growing concern about the lack of balance and fairness in national development, with some provinces having an unfair advantage while others have no real hope. "Mr Diro said when PNG became independent people were in a genuine spirit of goodwill and hope, however 25 years down the line there is a problem for leaders to address as hope slides away and goodwill starts to erode. He said despite the massive development of the country's mineral, oil and gas resources in the last decade, most Papua New Guineans have not benefitted and services and living standards have not improved much. "This is truly a sad state of affairs and a worrying one as our people lose hope and confidence in our future. "We need to face the reality that secession sentiment and movements are going to grow as economic and other conditions worsen. The only way way governments and leaders can address these conditions is by dramatically improving the performance of our administration and giving people the future and opportunity that ought to be their right," Mr Diro said. -------------------------------------------------------------------- [ Home ][ News ][ Sabina's Corner][ Opinion ][ Letters ][ Review ] [ Education ][ Faith ] [Business ][ Sports ] ********************************************************************** This public article was forwarded by NOBBY <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. Mail subscriptions to me with subjects: "subscribe BougI-[x?]L" or "change to ..-[x?]L" <your_eMail-adr>. [BougI-xL] is the eXcerpt of [BougI-L]. Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.alexia.net.au/~www/mhutton/index.html Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
