Jun 1 2015

Bougainville Tourism News: Australian tourist and business travel ban lifted by PNG govt.

Papua New Guinea foreign minister announces lifting ban on Australians travelling to Bougainville

With the Zhon Bosco Miriona Managing Director from Bougainville Experience Tours travelling to Melbourne on June 18 to market Bougainville tourism to the Australian and International market at the South Pacific Tourism Exchange this positive news for Bougainville was well timed.

“With 50% of our tourist and business travellers coming from Australia this is very good news for all our guest houses, hire cars and tour operators ” Mr Miriona said ” our tourism industry was facing a massive economic impact that would have taken years to recover

The ABC reported last night

Papua New Guinea has lifted a ban on Australians travelling to the autonomous region of Bougainville, the foreign minister Rimbink Pato said, adding that Australia and PNG have “reached common ground” on issues relating to the ban.

“Travel restrictions on Australians travelling to Bougainville have been lifted as of today,” he said in a press release.

Last week, Mr Pato banned all Australian tourist, business and short-term entry visa-holders from entering Bougainville, which is an autonomous region of PNG.

The ban does not apply to work and permanent visa-holders.

There was opposition from Bougainville’s president John Momis who called on PNG to overturn a travel ban on Australians, saying it breached the spirit of the peace agreement giving the island autonomy.

‘Lapse in communication’

The PNG government expressed shock when Australia first announced plans in its budget to open a foreign diplomatic mission in Bougainville.

The government said it learnt about the move via the media, prompting the travel ban.

But Mr Pato said prime minister Peter O’Neill “reaffirmed Papua New Guinea’s position that the government does not approve of the establishment of an Australian diplomatic mission on Bougainville.”

“While the manner in which the proposal was announced was unfortunate, we have discussed the issue with our Australian colleagues,” he said.

“We recognise that there is a serious lapse in communication and we can now move on from this issue.”

However, the Australian Government said the first formal discussion of the proposed foreign mission occurred on May 12.

Foreign minister Julie Bishop said the matter was discussed with PNG officials in December 2014 and again prior to the budget.

According to Mr Pato, Ms Bishop said in a letter to Mr O’Neill, the Australian Government “regrets their miscommunication regarding the proposal for an expanded presence in Bougainville, and for the way the announcement has been reported and portrayed.”

Bougainville is an autonomous part of PNG, but will be holding a referendum in the next five years to consider independence.

The region is currently holding elections for a new president and government that will shape the date and wording of a referendum on independence from PNG.

Rebels fought a decade-long civil war with PNG, sparked by conflict over the then-Australian-owned Panguna mine.

The island was granted autonomy under a 2001 peace agreement and a referendum on independence must be held between July 2015 and July 2020

May 27 2015

Bougainville Education News: Fundraising sports day in Panguna raises education funds for kindles

“There are strong indications that the benefits of mobile reading like kindles are long-lasting and far-reaching, with the potential to improve literacy, increase education opportunities and change people’s lives for the better.

A revolution in reading is upon us…”

For now BookGainVille cannot afford to buy a kindle for every child but what we do afford to give every child here and now is the dream to have access to one

James Tanis co-founder Bookgainville Education Revolution

The BookGainVille Cup Children’s Soccer kicked off last week at Kamex Children’s Field, Okangsira VA, Panguna District in Bougainville PNG

No uniforms, no boots and one soccer ball for both boys and girls.

A humble beginning to a big dream to self-raise funds to buy kindles for every child in Bougainville schools.

Using e-readers (like the Amazon Kindle) and potentially recycled phones the BookGainVille project wants to provide Bougainville children and families access to hundreds of thousands of books, giving them an opportunity to change their lives.

In May 2014 the Kindle project was launched in Bougainville and 11 schools now have donated kindles ,the latest this month being the Guava School near Panguna (see picture below)

The increasing ubiquity and diminishing costs of digital technology enabled BookGainville to solve these problems in a simple and straight-forward way. Wherever possible, they will be building on digital platforms and mobile connectivity to make our books available to children and families who need them the most. To date they have been providing e-readers to schools in need through both sponsorships and sales.

In the first stage BookGainville has utilized Amazon Kindles that cost originally Aus$99.00 and can hold up to 1,400 books each. If you consider 1 hard copy of a book could cost say 35 Kina , that’s potentially 50,000 kina worth of books potentially on just one Kindle. Each school 250,000 kina of books

BookGainVille will be actively curate books by Bougainville authors for our library. The more relevant and engaging a student’s first reads are, the more likely they are to continue learning and reading throughout their life

James Tanis continues to negotiate to ensure ABG adopts the kindle project for all Bougainville Schools . Recently Minister Michael Oni committed to funding kindles

The Bookgainville Cup and Kindles were donated by Colin Cowell, Simon Pentanu, Zhon Bosco and donors from PNG, Bougainville and International

Background to Bookgainville Education Project

In 2013 James Tanis the ex-President of Bougainville was studying at the Australian National University and teamed up with Canberra based Colin Cowell a communications consultant (who had a 44 year association with Bougainville) to find a solution to the problem “that most Bougainville school children not have any books to read.”

James from the Nariana community (via Panguna) and his friend Simon Pentanu from Pokpok Island believed there were strong indications that the benefits of mobile reading technology could be long-lasting and far-reaching, with the potential to improve literacy, increase education opportunities and change Bougainville students lives for the better

The need to improve literacy in Bougainville schools

According to UNESCO “Literacy is transformative: it increases earning potential, decreases inequality, improves health outcomes and breaks the cycle of poverty “.Yet there are still 740 million illiterate people in this world and in Bougainville there are many children of primary school age who lack basic reading and writing skills.

Books are necessary for the development of these skills, and still many schools in Bougainville have few or no books at all.

The BookGainville education vision

BookGainVille Education project Leadership group will be the voice for

1.Students to do their best and achieve their best;

2.Parents to make education the first priority in the family;

3.Demand those in possession of arms to replace their guns with pens and papers;

4.Tell landowners to negotiate for educational scholarships instead of cash payouts as compensation;

5.The political leaders to allocate the highest budget to education;

6.Reserve some resources now and leave some to our own children so that they will harvest when they acquire the technology,

7.Donors to advocate that education must form the highest portion of aid to Papua New Guinea (Bougainville) and

8.Advocate for all groups that contribute to education and knowledge.

How can you donate a few dollars or kina ?

DONATE HERE

May 25 2015

Bougainville 2015 Elections Update: Polling in Bougainville completed now the count

‘The counting will reflect what voters want in the third house of the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG). We are making good progress with our preparations for the Scrutiny, which begins tomorrow, Tuesday 26 May 1pm,

Mr. Manu also introduced a new website for the ABG Results 2015 that will be used as well purposely to update results of the counting

http://obec.gov.pg/index.php/about-the-obec/

The public is advised to see the results provided from the website as progressive preliminary, unofficial results only to be accepted as the official or final results during the issue of writs on Monday 8 June. The counting will end on June 7

Mr George Manu -Acting Electoral Commissioner to Bougainville

Story By Tanya Lahies Photos by NEW DAWN

Polling in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (ARoB) has completed in all 33 constituencies and counting to start on Wednesday 27 May

According to the Acting Electoral Commissioner to Bougainville, this year’s election in Bougainville is the first to be conducted by Bougainvilleans alone without supervision from the electoral office in Port Moresby.

Polling in general which started quietly had steadily picked up momentum with the message of polling reaching far and wide in the region and to other voting areas outside in Port Moresby, Madang, Lae, Goroka and Rabaul.

Otherwise, there were some obstacles encountered. An issue highlighted was the missing of names of certain voters who complained when trying to vote. But the commissioner provided options to solve the reoccurring problem. Voters who did not find their names while polling in their constituencies where advised to check special polling sites for Bougainvilleans in Bougainville (BiB) in Buka, Arawa and Buin.

In general, Mr George Manu continued to affirm the people of Bougainville on a daily basis that the ABG general election was quiet and peaceful.

This year, United Nations Development Program (UNDP) strongly supported the Office of the Bougainville Electoral Commissioner (OBEC) with providing trainings of the scrutineers including the media about the elections, processes and legal aspect.

Governance and Implementation Fund (GIF) also made funding available to transport the ballot boxes from Australia to Buka. The media, private and mainstream from bougainvillenews.com ,Post Courier, New Dawn Fm, NBC Bougainville and online particularly FB pages have also played an important role in disseminating information to the vast majority of the population. The Police sector also contributed to the elections awareness, which teamed up with local band Anslom Nakikus and his group during the earlier peak of the elections.

Tomorrow now sees the counting that will reflect what voters want in the third house of the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG). “We are making good progress with our preparations for the Scrutiny, which begins tomorrow, Tuesday 26 May 1pm,” Mr Manu declared at the media conference today.

Mr Manu also introduced a new website for the ABG Results 2015 that will be used as well purposely to update results of the counting.

http://obec.gov.pg/index.php/about-the-obec/

Counting the Votes

For the 2015 ABG General Election, counting of the ballot papers will be held at three regional count centres:

Hutjena High School, Hutjena – counting for the Presidential seat and the North regional and constituency seats
Sharp Memorial Centre, Arawa – counting for the Central regional and constituency seats
United Church, Buin – counting for the South regional and constituency seats
On the first day, Tuesday 26 May 2015, the counting officials will open the ballot boxes in order to sort the ballot papers by type. This is so that when the counting of the ballots occurs, they are already grouped together.
The counting officials will then go through the ‘reconciliation’ process, which checks that the ballot boxes contain the correct number of ballot papers.
Following this, the scrutiny of the preferences will begin. The first sort involves the ballot papers being sorted into piles based on their first preference. The pile of votes is then counted to determine the number of first preference votes each candidate received.
The candidate who received the least amount of first preference votes is then ‘excluded’ from the count, meaning they are no longer in the running to win the seat. The ballot papers for the excluded candidate are then sorted based on their second preferences. So these additional ballot papers add to the number of votes the other candidates have won.
At the counting centre
The process of counting is complex and takes time. It is important that each step is followed correctly to ensure that the candidate who wins is the candidate that was voted for. This means the process takes time.
The counting will take place around the clock with multiple shifts of counting officials each day. There are a number of groups inside the counting centre:
Note: The exclusion of candidates continues until one candidate either receives the Absolute Majority, or only two candidates remain in the count. Following either of these, the count will be completed and await formal declaration by the Returning Officer. The Activity: Understanding LPV provides guidance on how the exclusion process works.
Note: At this point, if a candidate receives the Absolute Majority, the count will be completed and await formal declaration by the Returning Officer. If not, the exclusion process commences.
Presidential ballot papers will be packaged up and transferred to the Presidential counting centre.
The Special Votes (the votes in the envelopes) will then be examined to identify whether the ballots are eligible to be included in the count.
How counting takes place
The below process is followed for each constituency, regional women’s, regional former combatant and the presidential elections.

Counting officials- with the responsibility of sorting and counting
Returning Officers- managing the counting officials, with overall responsibility for their area
OBEC advisors- a group of Australian and New Zealand advisors will be there to provide support and guidance following a request for support from the Acting Electoral Commissioner
Scrutineers- one scrutineer per candidate can be at the counting centre to watch the process and provide quality assurance by alerting the Returning Officer if they see anything of concern
Observers- international and domestic observers who are there following an invitation by the Acting Electoral Commissioner to observe the process as part of a commitment to transparency

Meanwhile, in support of the counting publicity and dissemination of information, the media in Bougainville is well prepared for the two weeks. While NBC Bougainville, New Dawn fm and the ABG mobile Radio Ples Lain will report from Buin, Arawa and Buka, other media personals from Post Courier will also ensure that information reach the majority of the eligible voters and spectators. Other media personals outside of Bougainville and from abroad will also participate in covering this significant period.

“I encourage all Bougainvilleans to continue working cooperatively with OBEC officials and the Bougainville Police Service to make this election, free, safe and fair,” Mr Manu urged.
This year’s election will also introduce a formal Electoral Dispute Resolution Process with the support from UNDP. The process will give any enrolled candidate, voter or scrutineer the opportunity to complete a form regarding any complain they may have if they believe that a violation of the electoral law or other laws has occurred, Mr Manu added.

May 20 2015

PNG BAN ON AUSTRALIAN’S TRAVEL TO BOUGAINVILLE – Momis says honour the Bougainville Peace Agreement

“I call on the Foreign Minister to lift the ban immediately, and to separately take steps to resolve the PNG dispute with Australia. There is no basis for the PNG Government to be harming Bougainville as a way of dealing with its misunderstanding with Australia.

“I also call on the Foreign Minister to work with the ABG to ensure that we can use our foreign affairs powers under the Peace Agreement.

“I also seek an assurance from the Minister that in future he will not take unilateral action in relation to foreign citizen’s travel to Bougainville. Instead, he must recognise Bougainville’s autonomy, and only take any such action at the request, or with the agreement, of the ABG

Grand Chief Dr John L. Momis

President John L. Momis today made a statement on the dispute between PNG and Australia over the PNG announcement of a ban on travel to Bougainville by Australians. The ban was imposed in response to Australia’s announcement about establishing a diplomatic office in Bougainville.

The President said the ban on Australians travelling to Bougainville would only cause problems for PNG, Bougainville, and Australia.

He said: “Australia is spending K120 million per year on assistance for Bougainville. It supports development building the capacity of the public service of the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG). A ban on Australians travelling to Bougainville will severely slow delivery of important assistance that is helping Bougainville in many ways.

“It is therefore vitally important that this dispute between PNG and Australia is resolved as soon as possible. The dispute can readily be resolved if both governments honour the Bougainville Peace Agreement.

“Australia knows that under the Agreement, Bougainville’s leaders accepted that Bougainville is part of PNG unless the referendum process results in a change. So unless or until that happens, Australia must of course respect PNG sovereignty.

“I understand that what Australia proposes is a limited increase in the full-time office it has had in Buka since about 2007. Australia has had discussions with PNG and the ABG about doing this. But the announcement in the Australian Treasurer’s budget speech last week made it sound as if a major diplomatic office is to be established

That is not the case. Australia should publicly clarify what is little more than a misunderstanding.

“For its part, PNG should remember that the Peace Agreement provides Bougainville with high autonomy, now guaranteed by the PNG Constitution.

The travel ban has been imposed without a request from or agreement of the ABG. This is a serious breach of at least the spirit of the Peace Agreement.

“The Agreement also clearly gives the ABG control of access of foreigners to Bougainville.

Under it the ABG can propose names of foreigners to be placed on the visa warning list, to prevent their entry to PNG and Bougainville. All applications for work permits and employment visas for people wanting to go to Bougainville are required to be referred to the ABG.

“But ABG requests to the National Government to set up the necessary administrative machinery for the ABG to exercise these powers have so far been ignored. So it seriously concerns me that PNG now wants to control travel to Bougainville, when it does nothing to allow the ABG to exercise its clear powers to control foreigner’s access to Bougainville.”

The President said that he wanted to discuss the travel ban with Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs as a matter of urgency.

He said: “I call on the Foreign Minister to lift the ban immediately, and to separately take steps to resolve the PNG dispute with Australia. There is no basis for the PNG Government to be harming Bougainville as a way of dealing with its misunderstanding with Australia.

“I also call on the Foreign Minister to work with the ABG to ensure that we can use our foreign affairs powers under the Peace Agreement.

Grand Chief Dr John L. Momis

May 19 2015

PNG Australia diplomatic row: Bougainville needs sustained and meaningful peace and happiness

PNG – Australia diplomatic row:

Bougainville needs sustained and meaningful peace and happiness with everyone as well as with itself

Photo and words by Simon Pentanu :Kieta

Picture: A peace symbol on white coral sand, among black pebbles. Bougainville desires peace more than anything else. May peace and harmony prevail on Bougainville and in PNG.

“May be the choice of the words diplomatic office or mission in the Federal budget estimates is the primary source of this agitation in the context of political arrangements for Bougainville within PNG. That budget estimates are only proposals and plans pending approval is often lost, as may be the case now, when political fray momentarily takes over.

But there is no doubt that Australia must recognize sensitivities both political and cultural in a more considered and serious light to avoid stumbles and pitfalls in its otherwise long, enduring relationship with its most populous, boisterous and resource rich Melanesian neighbour.”

If there is anything at all that the ABG leadership should say on this matter it is that the spirit of the Bougainville Peace Agreement (BPA) should oblige the National Government to consult or at least inform Bougainville that it was taking such a course with Australia before banning visits by its citizens to the Region.

Simon Pentanu

This incident or misunderstanding is something that was probably bound to happen along the way. That it has, has thrown up an opportunity for Australia to think through more carefully just how best Canberra should bring such and other matters in connection with Bougainville to the attention of PNG leaders. I say along the way because we read that there have been discussions at bureaucratic and political level in mooting the office on Bougainville.

PNG has made its point well and clearly about the need for consultation. Australia has responded with some caution and constraint, clearly so that the diplomatic waters are not muddied any more than they are already. Both sides need to recognize that both countries have had more bellicose diplomatic and political spars and spats in the past and that humility, time and dialogue have been the best healers. Not ironically most of the similar cataclysm in the past has had to do with something or other with Bougainville.

Bougainville will continue to be a prickly thorn on the sides of successive PNG and Australian Governments for a variety of different reasons to do with the Region’s political future. What most of us don’t want to see is politicians in PNG, including Bougainville, and Australia flexing their muscles, grandstanding and communicating in euphemisms and monologues at a distance where they are hard of hearing each other and as a consequence creating potential uncertainty and confusion among ordinary folk in Bougainville on a matter over consultative procedures and processes in dealing with matters on the Island.

A Masters thesis or a PhD dissertation or a Crocodile Prize entry or even the verses from the humongous King James version Bible will not nearly address or offer the way out towards grappling with or getting this potentially divisive matter towards an amicable resolution as would be a dialogue between affected human beings at close quarters, and face to face.

The BPA which is a joint-creation between Bougainville leaders and PNG remains a good guide, and in parts an enforceable document, to consult. If there is anything at all that the ABG leadership should say on this matter it is that the spirit of the BPA should oblige the National Government to consult or at least inform Bougainville that it was taking such a course with Australia before banning visits by its citizens to the Region.

Sensitive issues, whether it is to do with thinking aloud about a diplomatic office in Buka now or asking former Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare to remove his shoes at Brisbane airport some years ago calls for more than just diplomatic or political skills to manoeuvre through and get out of. They certainly cannot be suppressed or buried because they will simply resurface elsewhere in our regional relationship.

May 18 2015

Diplomatic row BREAKING NEWS: PNG Government Imposes Ban on Australians Travelling to Bougainville

Rimbink Pato, Minister For Foreign Affairs and Immigration, has announced a ban on Australians travelling to Bougainville.

Minister Pato issued the notice following the announcement by Australia of its plan to establish an Open Mission in Bougainville.

The Minister said, “I have instructed the Chief Migration Officer to impose the ban with immediate effect and to notify all PNG Overseas Missions and Posts and domestic carriers of the ban.”

He said Australians residing in Bougainville on work and permanent resident visas will not be affected by the ban. The ban will apply to all Australian passport holders who intend to visit Bougainville on tourist, business and other short-term entry visa’s.

All Diplomats and Foreign Government Officials wishing to visit Bougainville must seek clearance from the Department of Foreign Affairs before travelling to Bougainville. A clearance note will be issued to the Carrier to uplift the named officail(s).

The ban will also be imposed on any foreigner who applies for a visa at an PNG Overseas Missions and Post to visit Bougainville.

PNG Migration, Customs and Police Officers on duty at PNG Ports and Entry and Provincial Airports will monitor the ban and report any non-compliance to the Chief Migration Officer.

Source: Rimbink Pato, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Immigration 15 May 2015 [Media Release]

May 14 2015

Bougainville Political News: PM O’Neill wasn’t consulted over new Australian mission in Bougainville

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has said he was not consulted by Canberra over plans to set up a diplomatic post in Buka ,Bougainville, a politically sensitive autonomous region expected to hold a referendum on independence.

Report from The Australian online VIEW HERE

The federal government announced on Tuesday it would open five new overseas missions as part of this year’s national budget, including one at Buka in Bougainville.

Australian diplomats will also be dispatched to Doha, Mongolia and Phuket as Australia seeks to expand its footprint and spruik trade and investment opportunities.

But Mr O’Neill said there had been no consultation and no agreement to establish a post in Bougainville.

“We were shocked to learn from the budget documents that Australia is planning on establishing a diplomatic post in Bougainville,” Mr O’Neill said on a visit to Sydney today.

“I want to say that there has been no consultation on this proposal and there is no agreement to proceed,” he added.

“As we respect the territorial integrity of others, we expect others to respect ours as well.” He said that the region was a historically and politically sensitive area for PNG, with Bougainville voters expected to elect authorities in June who will call for a referendum on independence from the country as part of a 2001 peace agreement.

Under the agreement, Bougainville was promised the right to hold an independence referendum between 2015 and 2020.

It followed an almost decade-long, bitter guerilla war beginning in 1988 that claimed 10,000 lives.

The separatist conflict was the bloodiest in the Pacific since World War II, and ended when the New Zealand government helped broker a truce signed by all factions in 1997.

An Autonomous Bougainville Government was established in June 2005 as part of a United Nations-sponsored process.

O’Neill said that PNG Foreign Minister Rimbink Pato was requesting more information about Australia’s proposal.

Pato Thursday described the plan as “outrageous” and “mischievous”.

“I’ve directed the acting secretary to call in the Australian high commissioner to explain the media accounts of this mischievous proposal to open a foreign mission on Bougainville,” Pato said in a statement, local media reported.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop insisted the matter was discussed with the PNG government during a visit she made to the country last December.

“Australia has a significant and growing development program in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, which is almost 50 per cent higher than 2012/13, and will continue to partner with the PNG government in supporting economic growth throughout PNG,” her spokeswoman said.

Bougainville is home to the giant Panguna copper deposit. A Panguna mine run by Bougainville Copper, a subsidiary of Australian-listed Rio Tinto, was forced to close in 1989 during the conflict.

Rio Tinto has said the PNG government as well as Bougainville’s leadership were supportive of restarting operations at what is one of the South Pacific’s largest mines for copper and gold.

May 10 2015

Bougainville Elections News: Today 11 May we start the voting to decide Bougainville’s future

Yesterday was the final day for potential politicians to do more convincing to be voted in! Your vote is not just a vote but has value to choose who our next leaders and know that Bougainville’s political fate will depend entirely on the leaders we choose this week.

However, regardless of whoever wins the presidential seat, whether its John Momis, Sam Akoitai, Ishmael Toroama, Sam Kauona or Rueben Siara and many others representing the Regional Women, and the Constituencies seats.

I’m sure they all have our Bougainville’s future at their hearts interests. And each of them wants to show that they can lead and defend our political interests by serving our people.

Whether we like it or not, at end of the day we have to comply and work together for Bougainville’s future.

Geraldine Paul (see her full article below )

The polling period will fall between May 11 and May 25. Counting will commence immediately after the polling period from May 26 to June 7 and the writs will be returned the next day, June 8, 2015

Polling booths will open at 8am and closes at 4pm . Polling will be held in 215 locations both within the 33 constituencies in Bougainville and in the five provinces in the country including NCD, Lae, Rabaul, Madang and Goroka.

This election starting today Monday 11 May among Bougainville’s estimated 300,000 people brings the issue closer to decision. The Bougainville government’s new president and legislature will hold a promised referendum some time during their five-year term on whether the island stays in PNG or goes independent.

John Momis, who is the current ABG president and favourite for re-election against eight other candidates, is adding another explosive issue. After getting a new mining law passed in March this year, he is pushing for the reopening of the Panguna copper mine that was the original cause of the civil war. With only 11 per cent of his government’s budget coming from local revenue, the rest mostly from Port Moresby grants, the mines are the only prospective source of revenue to make either autonomy or independence a reality.

FROM Australia’s Saturday Paper Hamish McDonald

In his first couple of years as foreign minister, Alexander Downer had a lot of bombs explode in his portfolio.

Among them was the 1997 Sandline affair in which Papua New Guinea’s government brought in South African and other mercenaries to try to end the bitter conflict on Bougainville Island that had closed the giant Rio Tinto gold and copper mine there since 1989.

An army mutiny in Port Moresby scotched that idea, a truce with the Bougainville Revolutionary Army followed, and talks held in a New Zealand army camp led to a peace agreement in 2001 that set up an Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG). Throughout the talks, New Zealand sources say, Downer was out to prevent what he called the “Balkanisation” of Australia’s strategic arc of friendly states to its immediate north-east. The Kiwis were somewhat sceptical this could be avoided. Anyone who’s read the Lloyd Jones novel Mister Pip might agree.

An election starting today Monday 11 May among Bougainville’s estimated 300,000 people brings the issue closer to decision. The Bougainville government’s new president and legislature will hold a promised referendum some time during their five-year term on whether the island stays in PNG or goes independent.

According to Anthony Regan, an ANU constitutional law professor who advises the Bougainville government, most Bougainvilleans would prefer Rio Tinto to return to Panguna, under stricter local consent and environmental provisions. “They prefer the devil they know,” he said. Whether Rio Tinto wants to spend the $US5.2 billion it estimates it will take to reopen the derelict mine is another matter.

Other interests are hovering. Momis suspects that PNG Prime Minister Peter O’Neill wants to buy out Rio Tinto’s 53.83 per cent shareholding in Bougainville Copper Ltd, adding it to his contentious nationalisation of BHP’s former Ok Tedi mine at the other end of the country. Momis said this would lead to a demand for immediate independence. O’Neill denies any such plans.

A new face on the scene is Anthony Johnston, of Sydney-based waste disposal firm United Resource Management (URM) and sponsor of the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. Johnston and his old schoolmate, lawyer Ian de Renzie Duncan, have been cultivating former rebels around the mine who call themselves the Me’ekamui Government of Unity. Regan said URM’s interest appears to be in brokering the entry of a new mine operator to Panguna. At a meeting with ABG president Momis in February, which Regan also attended, Johnston and Duncan had argued that while Rio Tinto should be given first refusal, it should be given six months to make a decision. Johnston did not return calls to his Sydney office.

How will the Bougainvilleans vote in the referendum? Dark-skinned, like many of the peoples in the adjacent Solomon Islands, from whom they were separated by colonial rivalry between Germany and Britain in the 1890s, they regard the lighter-skinned people from the other parts of PNG as alien “redskins”. Efforts by Port Moresby to put resources into the ABG may have come too late to overcome bitter memories of the counterinsurgency campaigns by national police and soldiers in the 1990s. “Lack of support for the ABG from Moresby has loaded the dice towards independence,” Regan said.

So the fear of a chink opening in our belt of Melanesian buffer states could be realised. Yet there’s a sting in the peace agreement. At Downer’s urging, it left implementation of the referendum result to the PNG national parliament, contingent on disposal of weapons and development of good governance in the ABG, rather than making it automatic. Regan says there’s some legal opinion in Port Moresby the referendum can be stopped on these grounds. Any such effort, or to block the result, could reopen conflict.

Bougainvilleans accepted the compromise after Downer argued the international community would support implementation of “a free and fair referendum with a clear outcome”, Momis told his outgoing parliament ahead of the election. “The truth is that we may need to rely on international community support at that time,” he said.

FROM Geraldine Paul

Today is the final day for potential politicians to do more convincing to be voted in! Your vote is not just a vote but has value to choose who our next leaders and know that Bougainville’s political fate will depend entirely on the leaders we choose this week. However, regardless of whoever wins the presidential seat, whether its John Momis, Sam Akoitai, Ishmael Toroama, Sam Kauona or Rueben Siara and many others representing the Regional Women, and the Constituencies seats. I’m sure they all have our Bougainville’s future at their hearts interests. And each of them wants to show that they can lead and defend our political interests by serving our people. Whether we like it or not, at end of the day we have to comply and work together for Bougainville’s future.

We need to also take into account that ABG is still in its infant stage, and has a long way to go. ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’, as the saying goes… Again, having said this does not give our leaders the excuse to keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again – Our chosen leaders can not AFFORD to make any more mistakes – it will be a waste and a loss of all our time, only bringing us 10 steps backward or more!

We still have outstanding issues relating to our service systems which needs attention to details – Health facility centers needs upgrading and staffs needs to be accomdated well, appreciated and compensated for the work they do. Education leaders needs to ensure teachers dont go missing from schools chasing after their pay packet only to end up leaving students unattended for days! More technical schools need to be set up or upgrade our current local technical schools to increase intakes per annum. Skills that are acquired from such institutions will go a long way.

Our police system is quite ineffective that issues are often not resolved. Too many wantokism within the adminstration which becomes a bottleneck to our justice system.

Leaders tend to forget that 99% of our population depends entirely on what they produce in their backyard garden -agricultural activity is the backbone of our people. What we need to do is tap into what people are already doing and expand it, create quality production, tap into niche markets and sell our produces! – we are only exporting Cocoa and copra products overseas, but what about vanilla, coffee, bananas, tapioka, taros and fresh vegetables, green coconut and fishing projects- these foods are growing in our land. Our mindset need to be changed, Think big and think outside the box! Think Commercial and create market opportunities!

Economic development is a must if we want to be independent, if our ordinary farmers are not financially independent – then we basically shooting ourselves in our foot. How can we expect ourselves to be independent when we are not investing in our own people to create local production!

There’s also the issues regarding the access roads which farmers have to travel through to sell their cocoa and other products , the back roads of Tinputz such as Namatoa, Pokapa, Tiobuin, and many places are in bad conditions, including the roads along Tokaino, Nakorei, Tabago, Rukauko, Wisai, Mughuai and not to mentioned acess roads along wakunai and Kieta/Kongara as well. Who’s responsibilities are they to be fixed? Do we always have to wait when the next election is around the corner for a politician to show that he or she cares and then they spend the next entire 5 years neglecting maintenance?…….

Social issues are eating us up like cancer within our societies – women and children are often not considered into decisions making although they make up our 60 or 70% of our population. Domestic violence is brewing like nobody’s business, and we still turn a blind eye, saying its none of our business- we should not be using customs and cultures as an excuse. But create a culture that says ‘No to any form of violence’ – our men folks need to own up and support women by standing up against such abuses – this cycle of violence need to be broken. We need proper services in place to support women, children and men to be helped is such situations…

Ah! Well!! Then again on the brighter side we did achieve lots of good things over the past 10 years and have definitely seen changes, some business houses being prosperous on the account of others or basically out of their own hard work. More land cruisers for our goverment officials have been purchased, hopefully this means more work and patrolling to outer stations instead of ferrying wantoks and families, which I hope not!
Our trunk roads have definitely been given attention to and the plans are in the pipeline for more upgrading, thanks to some hard working people pushing for it.
Aropa airport and the opening of BSP branch in Arawa is a success story of progress!

And I’m sure with all the ‘Bel kol’ iniatitives being carried out to resolve our past greivences, it will pave ways to reopening the mines, this will also mean more job opportunities, or more exploitations if not managed well. People that can afford to are building better homes in their villages, lifestyle is definitely changing with new technology everyday! You’re either in the boat flowing with the change or left behind with anger and blame others because you think its their fault for you being a failure…

I know! I know! this has been quite mouthful, but I thought I’d share my 2 toea thoughts and Happy Sunday to you all. May the Good Lord guide and bless us all as we decide on our future leaders by casting our vote this week, not because they bribed us with cash, but because we truly believe that they are a genuine, honest and someone with the great leadership skills to be our captain for the next 5 years, and most importantly, leaders with good intentions !!! So long every one!!

May 7 2015

Bougainville Election News : Mekamui Tribal Government says Panguna 100 % behind Momis

“The Mekamui Tribal Government of Unity stands behind President Momis as we see him as the person who will lead us to freedom,”

“The Mekamui faction has also started the realignment process with the Autonomous Bougainville Government that will see reintegration and unity amongst all Bougainvilleans,”

Mekamui Defence Force hard man, Moses Pipiro declared that the people in Panguna area were 100 percent behind President Momis : Picture presenting shell money

Please note the following text supplied by ABG media

The Mekamui Tribal Government of Unity have pledged their support to incumbent ABG President Grand Chief Dr John Momis in this year’s ABG General Elections.

Mekamui Defence Force hard man, Moses Pipiro declared that the people in Panguna area were 100 percent behind President Momis’ bid to retain the ABG Presidency in a political rally held in the heart of the Panguna Township yesterday.

“The Mekamui Tribal Government of Unity stands behind President Momis as we see him as the person who will lead us to freedom,” Mr Pipiro said.

“The Mekamui faction has also started the realignment process with the Autonomous Bougainville Government that will see reintegration and unity amongst all Bougainvilleans,” he added.

“President Momis has been with us from the very start of our struggle for self-determination and he is the only one who knows where will go,” Mr Pipiro said.

Former ABG President James Tanis was also amongst a host of leaders from North, South and Central Bougainville who endorsed President Momis’s candidacy.(file picture )

Mr Tanis said that his decision not to stand for this year’s elections was to allow President Momis to complete the long journey that is Bougainville’s move to self-determination and should the people choose, total independence.

“President Momis’ is on the verge of completing what he started more than 40 years ago when he took up the fight for our people’s freedom,” Mr Tanis said.

“It would be unjust for me to usurp his leadership, as a respected elder statesman he has the necessary experience and will to lead us to independence,” Mr Tanis added.

“With Bougainville’s Referendum to be held within the term of the third and final Bougainville House of Representatives, as stipulated in the PNG Constitution, Bougainvilleans must know the type of leader they want to lead them and President Momis is that leader,” Tanis said.

In attendance at the rally were ABG President, Grand Chief Dr John Momis, Mekamui Government of Unity President, Philip Miriori, former Clerk of the National Parliament and Chief Ombudsman Simon Pentanu and various ABG Members from Central and South Bougainville.

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Apr 29 2015

Bougainville 2015 elections : United Nations kicks off training and media support

“These elections are of fundamental importance to Bougainville. OBEC welcomes the UN´s support in these key components of a democratic election.”

OBEC´s acting Commissioner, George Manu

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is starting a comprehensive training programme focusing on election Scrutineers, Returning Officers, and Media in Bougainville.

The polling period will fall between May 11 and May 25. Counting will commence immediately after the polling period from May 26 to June 7 and the writs will be returned the next day, June 8, 2015

The trainings are part of UNDP´s effort to enhance the understanding of the 2015 Bougainville general elections process, due to start from 11 May. UNDP will also be supporting the coordination of election observation groups, providing training support to women candidates, and facilitating a post-elections lessons-learnt exercise.

The scrutineer training is expected to reach as many as 720 people and aims to provide scrutineers with an overview of the electoral process and their role in it so that any complaints raised during polling and counting are based on an understanding of those processes.

UNDP will also facilitate small group and one-on-one training discussions with Bougainville’s 19 Returning Officers, focusing on the Office of the Bougainville Electoral Commission´s (OBEC) process for handling complaints during the polling and counting periods. The training aims to ensure that complaints about elections are resolved in a consistent, transparent, and timely manner.

The media training will target local media houses. The main objective of the training is to equip journalists with the basic knowledge and professional skills that will enable them to cover election processes in a fair, balanced, and non-partisan way and through them enable citizens to become well-informed and active participants in the political decision processes.

“Election stakeholders, such as Scrutineers, Returning Officers, and Media, are a key component of the wider election process. By ensuring their understanding of their role and the electoral procedures, we are promoting credible elections,” said Ray Kennedy, UNDP´s electoral support team leader.

OBEC´s acting Commissioner, George Manu, stated that “These elections are of fundamental importance to Bougainville. OBEC welcomes the UN´s support in these key components of a democratic election.”

Roy Trivedy, UN Resident Coordinator/UNDP Resident Representative, said that “The UN is working closely with OBEC. This training will assist to ensure free and transparent elections.”

UNDP has tailored its election support following a request of the Government of PNG and the Autonomous Bougainville Government for a UN electoral assistance project to strengthen local capacity in the lead up to the 2015 elections.

For further requests, please contact: bougainville.elections.2015@undp.org

Media accreditation to start for 2015 general elections in Bougainville

28 Apr 2015The Office of the Bougainville Electoral Commissioner (OBEC) has today announced the start of a media accreditation process for the coverage of the 2015 elections.The accreditation process will start on 27 April and will continue through the elections to allow the media easier access to election officials, locations, and information.OBEC invites all interested media houses to request further details on the accreditation process from the election commission´s Media Relations unit.

Together with their accreditation badge, journalists will receive an election handbook containing useful information on the election process.

According to OBEC´s Acting Commissioner, George Manu, “OBEC, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme, has developed a simple media accreditation process that will enable journalists to gain access to relevant electoral events”.

“This new process of media accreditation is one further step to pave the way for credible and transparent elections, according to international election standards”, Manu added.

OBEC is the entity responsible for the administration and conduct of the Bougainville 2015 general elections, to be held from 11 May.

UNDP is providing support to the OBEC’s media accreditation process as part of its wider work on supporting the Autonomous Bougainville Government in upholding general elections scheduled to take place in May-June 2015.

Specific assistance will be provided to the areas including: the development of step-by-step prioritized electoral support plan; provision of technical guidance on implementing the support plan; coordinating the deployment of international observers; training of election scrutineers; developing training materials and providing hands-on training for female candidates and more. Project is implemented by UNDP in partnership with its sister agencies and will run from March to July 2015.

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