Feb 15 2016

Bougainville Women’s News : Australia supports Young Women’s Leadership Project in Bougainville

“The project will emphasise the value of women candidates and promote men’s respect for the rights of their wives and partners to choose who they wish to vote for,”

Ambassador Stott Despoja said

Deputi Spika blong Autonomous Bougainville Gavman, Francesca Semoso em i salim bikpela tok tengkyu long gavman na pipol blong Australia long help ol i bin wok long givim Autonomous Region blong Bougainville.

Australia is supporting two new projects aimed at improving leadership skills and voter awareness among women in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville.

Australia’s Ambassador for Women and Girls, Natasha Stott Despoja, today launched the Young Women’s Leadership and the Voter Awareness and Leadership Education projects while on a visit to Bougainville.

Funded through the Australian aid program, the K2.8 million Young Women’s Leadership Project will support young women to build leadership skills and confidence to have a greater voice in local and regional government affairs and policy development.

The K1 million Voter Awareness and Leadership Education project will assist men and women to fully participate in and understand democratic processes.

“The project will emphasise the value of women candidates and promote men’s respect for the rights of their wives and partners to choose who they wish to vote for,” Ambassador Stott Despoja said.

Australia supports gender equality in the Autonomous Bougainville Government through a jointly developed and agreed to gender investment plan (2014-19) valued at $14 million. The plan focuses on three key areas: to reduce gender-based violence and provide support services for survivors; strengthen women’s leadership and influence in decision-making; and improve women’s economic opportunities.

In consultation with the PNG Government and the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG), Australia is increasing its aid to Bougainville to support stability by strengthening governance and service delivery, promoting social cohesion and economic growth, and empowering women and youth.

Deputi Spika blong Autonomous Bougainville Gavman, Francesca Semoso itok tenk yu long Australia long despla raon blong Ms Stott Despoja long Bougainville

Long nau ia, gavman blong Australia igat wanpela 14 million dollar 2014-2019 program wantaim ABG long sait long helpim ol meri.

Stat long Trinde ikam inap long tede, Ambassador blong Australia long sait long ol meri na gels, Natasha Stott Despoja em ibin visitim Bougainville.

Long Trinde em ibin lonsim Bougainville Women’s Federation facilities long Buka.

Ms Despoja ibin bungim to ol 4 pela meri insait long ABG palamen.

Na Francesca Semoso husat i memba makim ol meri long North Bougainville i tok ol meri lida ia ibin tokim Ms Despoja long go toksave long bikpela tengkyu long gavman blong Australia long olgeta help long olgeta yia.

Feb 6 2016

Bougainville reflections :For the mothers, peace in Panguna has come in many respects.

“A mother in the village is one with Mother Earth, she never ever doubts motherland will provide all bare and sumptuous necessities for life. Always, in all ways.

Development, progress, growth and impact projects continue to be misnomers for the rural majority that is subsistent, self sufficient, interdependent and content.”

Simon Pentanu

I took this shot in a recent visit to Panguna, 15 January 2016. It was a moving white marvel against dense forest greenery to look at with naked eyes from the distance. It was saying something the more I looked at it and the more I noticed it and saw two other white smokes rising from bushes in the distance farther beyond.

This white smoke was bellowing from the evergreen forest floor and bushes on the hilly periphery of one of the largest open cut mines in the world, Panguna, along old growth alpine virgin forests and rugged, rocky mountain spine of Moreha’s (Bougainville) Crown Prince Range.

Where there’s white smoke rising there’s a mother weeding, toiling and gardening. She will return to her garden in time to harvest the fruits of her labour.

A mother in the village is one with Mother Earth, she never ever doubts motherland will provide all bare and sumptuous necessities for life. Always, in all ways.

Development, progress, growth and impact projects continue to be misnomers for the rural majority that is subsistent, self sufficient, interdependent and content.

Food security also means you cannot eat money but you should still grow, gather, hunt or catch for your sustenance. This is what the world is coming to, not what Referendum and Independence promise which is trying to catch up with the rest of the world and be like the Jones’s or join the rat race with the Toms, Dicks, Harrys and Muhammads.

Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills, in the rift valleys and ravines, along the the river banks and along meandering creeks that the possibilities in the modern, civilised world are limitless.

Mothers though will say this to you: theirs is a symbiotic and mutually belonging relationship together with Mother Earth where they live for each other everyday. It is not an existential crisis or struggle for survival. They belong to the land, they aren’t separate from it. They sow and reap with care and respect without ripping into the guts and disemboweling their land.

For the mothers, peace up here has come in many respects. The most telling is that the land is replenishing and renewing itself albeit it’ll never ever be the same again. But their consolation and proof of this is in better root crop harvests, many more fingers on banana bunches, firm and oilier ground nuts, plentiful fruits and vegetables and seeing grasshoppers that have come back often to their annoyance.

May be even the copper, gold and silver are replenishing and growing to replace what was mined and taken out.

The other thing that is quite telling and that makes life worth living as it was is that women in Panguna can experience and benefit from the power of quiet in their own world which which was always disturbed by unrelenting world of noise of men and machines digging and ripping out the heart of their land.

Life in the village usually starts early for women than men. When he’s still taking time to get up and wipe his eyes awake, she’s left for the garden with her metal and wooden implements to continue from where she left her gardening the other day.

Seeing rising thick and thin white smokes here and there from the gardens on hilly and forested peripheries of the mine means life has gone back to normal.

But has it really?

Dec 5 2015

Bougainville House of Representatives : Statement by the Speaker Simon Pentanu

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Office of the Speaker

STATEMENT BY SPEAKER

Budget session

The Speaker of the House of Representatives Simon Pentanu MHR has announced the 2015 Budget meeting will commence on Monday 21 December at 2 o’clock pm. This is the date agreed to in consultation with the President and the Minister for Finance taking into account the preparation time for the budget to be finalised. The House will meet over two to three days to consider and approve the Autonomous Region’s budget for 2016.

This will be the final meeting for this year. The first meeting of the House in the New Year will be in March at a date and time to be fixed by the Speaker in consultations with the President.

In a prepared statement the Speaker also made brief reference to a number matters on his impressions to the start of the Third House 2015-2020.

Parliamentary Committees

The Speaker said the start to his term in Office has been eventful. It has been a period of settling in for all members, including Ministers. The Speaker expressed a particular delight that the House has appointed its main and important select and statutory parliamentary committees early in the life of the Third House. The parliamentary committee system in its full operational capacity would provide the best opportunities for members to play their rightful roles in wider and inclusive ways as leaders, lawmakers and elected representatives.

Parliament poorly resourced

Mr Pentanu said resources, financial resources in particular, will continue to be a challenge in the administration of the Parliament. In this regard the Speaker said that sadly, over the last ten years the Parliament which is an important arm of the Government has been poorly resourced. Even more appalling, the Legislature as one of the three symbiotic arms of the Government has been regarded , if not degraded as if it is just another administrative arm of the Autonomous Bougainville Administration.

He said that unless this attitude is changed Parliament and its parliamentarians will not play their representative, lawful roles as long as the Parliamentary Service continues to be poorly resourced. He said it is already obvious to him that the demand on members’ time and effort compared to the meagre resources that come with the office of a member is enormous. A Parliament and parliamentary service that is adequately resourced can plan well in supporting the constitutional mandate of elected leaders and provide integrity and respect to the roles they are expected to perform.

Financial Accountability

Our whole financial administration regime and accountabilities for funds at every level need to be blow torched and overhauled. We cannot continue to walk up and down the same corridors and expect different results. I am confident however, we have the leaders in Parliament to institute changes through well thought out and considered decisions to demand more and better accountabilities overall over ABG’s finances in order to do and achieve more from the resources Bougainville is raises and receives. Our members are not just law makers, the Parliament is also the highest oversight body to which the Executive and the bureaucracy is accountable.

Women’s participation

Our women parliamentarians have shown confidence, commitment, desire and a strong will to make their marks inside and outside Parliament as they strive to represent women of Bougainville. Their participation in debates, the questions they direct at the ministerial benches and their appreciation of what their roles entail has been impressive so far.

Former combatants

Our three members representing the former combatants have contributed to discussions and debates in an assured way. They are members of important parliamentary select committees. However, as representatives of interest groups the members need more assistance in articulating the hovering constituency issues in a way that Parliament and Bougainville leadership may be able to involve or utilise their membership in a progressive way in connection with the constituents they represent.

Positive start

The management of the business of the House, the corporation and collaboration with the Executive in Parliament and attendance and participation by all members during parliamentary sessions has been pleasing. Members have benefitted from inductions at the start of their political and parliamentary career. Member’s attendance and participation at a recent parliamentary seminar jointly hosted by the Department of Referendum, Peace and Veterans in a rural setting was very encouraging.

Autonomous funding

Ours is a Parliament by the People, for the People, of the People and we must go back to the People at every opportunity. I do not see why this should be difficult when this is the duty and desire of all members. It is absolutely possible with proper planning and adequate funding under an arrangement in which Parliament is funded separately in an autonomous arrangement where it is provided and is accountable for its funding.

Oct 12 2015

Bougainville Education News :An educated population is key to a strong and progressive Bougainville

“Bougainville right now needs a lot of educated people to manage and guide the region as we prepare ourselves for referendum.In three years time, the people of Bougainville will be voting for their own political future and it important that people are educated about this issue.It is a must that the human capital resource must be highly educated in order for Bougainville to prosper”

ABG Minister for Community Development, Josephine Getsi

A total of 224 Early Childhood Teachers graduated from a two weeks training workshop at Morou Village in the Baubake Constituency area at the weekend.

The ceremony was witnessed by three ABG Members, the Minister for Community Government, Hon. Jacob Tooke, and Minister for Community Development, Josephine Getsi and Minister Assisting the President, Hon. Robert Tsika.

The three members told the graduation ceremony that the government fully supports the initiative by those wanting to promote education as the number one priority.

They also said their presence at the ceremony is testimony of the government’s commitment to provide education to the whole population of Bougainville.

The emphasis is on providing quality education as against general education.

An educated population is key to a strong and progressive government or country.

The ABG Minister for Community Development, Josephine Getsi says education is the backbone of any country adding that it is through education a person can bring change to the environment.

You can support Bougainville education thru James Tanis project http://www.bookgainville.com

Jun 30 2015

Bougainville Women’s News: US Embassy grant opportunity to create an entrepreneurial ecosystem for women

U.S. Embassy Port Moresby is proud to announce a brand new grant opportunity to create an entrepreneurial ecosystem for women in Papua New Guinea to enable women’s economic empowerment!

For more information, please see: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html…. Proposals are due July 31!

Completed proposals will include the application along with the completed monitoring and evaluation, timeline, and budget templates.

Interested organizations should know that as per U.S. government regulations – they must obtain a Dun & Bradstreet, or D-U-N-S, Number, which is a unique nine-digit identification number for each physical location of your business or organization.

D-U-N-S Number assignment is free for all businesses required to register with the U.S. federal government for contracts or grants.

For more information on obtaining a D-U-N-S number, see: http://www.grants.gov/…/orga…/step-1-obtain-duns-number.html.

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 6 2015

Bougainville Cultural News : The Bougainville Constitution caters not for my daughter

“In this day and age, with the high growth rate of the Bougainville population and dwindling of natural resources, the rights to access land has limitations and conditions.

In these circumstances, my daughter is an alien in Bougainville and the law of this island has not served its purpose in protecting her.

My daughter cannot lean on me when in need of land or citizenship, for Nasioi is a matrilineal society, and she cannot lean on her mother since Buin is a patrilineal society.”

LEONARD FONG ROKA ( pictured above with daughter Dollorose )

An entry in the Crocodile Prize PNG Chamber of Mines & Petroleum Award for Essays & Journalism

Author of 5 books available on AMAZON

I travel regularly through my matrilineal home districts of Panguna and Kieta to my patrilineal Buin where my partner and mother of 10-month old Dollorose comes from.

Whenever I do, a flood of thoughts torments me about the wording of Section 7 of the Bougainville Constitution.

This provision concerns the definition of who is a Bougainvillean.

Section 7 is disturbing because it says a Bougainvillean is a person who is a member (whether by birth or by adoption according to custom) of a Bougainvillean clan lineage (matrilineal or patrilineal) owning customary land in Bougainville.

There’s more we needn’t worry about.

The point is that through the diverse lenses of the 19-plus cultures of Bougainville, Section 7 has no value and relevance.

In all Bougainvillean societies, membership of any clan is a birthright whether male or female was born in or outside Bougainville.

All Bougainvillean societies practice adoption. In the Nasioi society the adopted members of other clans are referred to as bautara but their clan status never changes. They have access to land under the auspices of the individual who adopted them but they still remain bautara without much power in their new communities.

Bautara face their demise once their adoptee parent is dead or the population of their adoptee parent’s relatives strive for resources. Most bautara return to their origin and face a new series of setbacks especially over land rights that time has denied them.

But going back to my narrative. I have no automatic right to land in my matrilineal Nasioi society and my partner has no right to land in her patrilineal Buin society.

In my Nasioi society ownership and access are different issues.

I have access rights to land but the ownership rights are vested to my female relatives; likewise my partner has access rights to Buin land but only her brothers have ownership rights.

In this day and age, with the high growth rate of the Bougainville population and dwindling of natural resources, the rights to access land has limitations and conditions.

In these circumstances, my daughter is an alien in Bougainville and the law of this island has not served its purpose in protecting her. My daughter cannot lean on me when in need of land or citizenship, for Nasioi is a matrilineal society, and she cannot lean on her mother since Buin is a patrilineal society.

Bougainvillean cultures, unlike the Bougainville Constitution, have provisions that grant people like me land ownership rights. In Nasioi society, there are pieces of land where the ownership right is passed from father to the son (and daughter where there is no son).

On the unoccupied plateau above the Kupe-Topinang-Pomaua-Sirerongsi-Pakia Gap-Panguna circle, my grandfather passed to me and my brother such land ownership rights.

Thus my daughter has ownership rights (alongside her cousins from my brother) to this land but broader citizen’s rights are not settled by that since Kieta society recognises her as a Buin woman.

In Buin, there are cultural provisions that allow my partner land ownership rights; yet still our daughter Dolloroseis not a citizen of Buin as she is seen as being from my Kieta society.

The Bougainville Constitution clearly did not spell out the fate of children born to fathers from matrilineal societies marrying into patrilineal society and born to mothers from patrilineal societies marrying into matrilineal societies.

Our beloved children from such families are constitutional aliens on Bougainville. They will remain aliens till such time as Section 7 of the Bougainville Constitution is amended to serve this unique group of Bougainville people.

Our current fundraiser for Bougainville education

DONATE 10/50/100 Kina or dollars here www.bookgainville.com

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.

Apr 7 2015

Bougainville Women’s News :Public Perceptions of Women in Bougainville Leadership Survey

Public Perceptions of Women in Leadership Survey

Autonomous Region of Bougainville

“Women in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville are traditionally endowed with traditional responsibilities and powers, And when we assess the women in their traditional positions, women have responsibilities and powers that tend to keep them where they are”

Doctor Naomi Tulaha

Complete survey HERE

The following survey has been developed to gain an idea of the views people in Bougainville have towards women’s participation in decision making and leadership roles particularly at the local level.

The survey is an initiative of the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) Pacific as part of a wider programme known as the Funding Leadership and Opportunities for Women (FLOW) Programme. FLOW is a four year multi-country programme funded by the Government of the Netherlands, coordinated in the Pacific by the International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA).

Results of this survey will serve as baseline statistics for the CLGF’s gender in local government program in Bougainville.CLGF would like to acknowledge the Fiji Women’s Rights Movement (FWRM) for the use of some of its questions based on the recently published 2014 Public Perceptions of Women in Leadership in Fiji report

DO BOUGAINVILLE WOMEN HAVE RESPONSIBILITIES AND POWER ?
BY JENNIFER NKUI

Women in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville are traditionally endowed with traditional responsibilities and powers, says Doctor Naomi Tulaha.And when we assess the women in their traditional positions, women have responsibilities and powers that tend to keep them where they are.

When giving her speech during the International Women’s Day celebrations at the Kuri Village resort recently, Dr. Tulaha revealed that in the traditional context, it is deemed inappropriate for women to campaign in public but women in Bougainville do not consider themselves as inferior.

She said women in Bougainville were born chiefs and were born with power and as landlords, women in Bougainville have power.

But this power according to Dr. Tulaha is being eroded by the influence of the changes that are coming into the women’s’ lives.
She then pointed out saying are we actually making women more powerful or are we actually moving them backwards?

She stressed that this is something that needs careful discussion in order to bring the women of Bougainville to a different kind of arena so they can play their roles as equal partners in parliament.

Apr 1 2015

Bougainville Election News: Nine candidates in Bougainville presidential race

MOMIS CHALLENGED BY HEAVYWEIGHTS
By Aloysius Laukai

Picture Above :Former ABG President James Tanis with incumbent President Chief Dr. John Momis witnessing the nomination of New Bougainville Party candidates today in Arawa.

As of close of nominations for the ABG General Elections this afternoon, nine candidates have registered to challenge Chief DR.JOHN MOMIS for the Presidential seat in this year’s ABG GENERAL ELECTIONS. The nine are NICK PENIAI the ABG Speaker in the first ABG House and also the CEO for the Peace Division until he resigned to contest the ABG Election. An unknown, JUSTIN POKATA KIRA, former BRA leader, SAM KAUONA, PETER NERAU, former Member for Central Bougainville in the National Government, SAM AKOITAI, Catholic church priest, FR. SIMON DUMARINU, former BRA General, ISHMAEL TOROAMA and Bougainville Lawyer, REUBEN SIARA.

According to the order of draw, their ballot papers will have the following numbers.

NICK PENIAI BOX 10, JUSTING POKATA KIRA BOX 11,SAM KAUONA BOX 12,PETER NERAU BOX 13,SAM AKOITAI BOX 14,FATHER SIMON DUMARINU BOX 15,JOHN LAWRENCE MOMIS BOX 16, ISHMAEL TOROAMA BOX 17 and REUBEN SIARA BOX 18.

All candidates have six weeks to campaign before polling which will begin on May 11th, 2015.

WOMEN SHY AWAY FROM THE PRESIDENTIAL SEAT
By Aloysius Laukai

Women of Bougainville have decided to leave the Presidential seat to the men of Bougainville despite all the campaigns to challenge men at the 2015 ABG General elections.
As of the Close of nominations for the ABG General Elections only nine men have nominated for the Presidential seat whilst more women have registered for individual constituencies with no one vying for Bougainville’s top post.

In North Bougainville, Ten women have nominated for the North Bougainville women’s reserved seat to challenge sitting member, ELIZABETH BURAIN who has visited and supported women in all the Constituencies of North Bougainville.

Other women have nominated for the constituencies such as, HONA HOLAN the President of the Bougainville Women’s Federation.
MS. HOLAN has nominated for the HAKU constituency whilst REGINA TSIKOA is contesting the HAGOGOHE seat, SCHOLASTICA MIRIORI is contesting the TSITALATO seat, JOSEPHINE GETSI is contesting the Peit constituency and CICELY LIOTS KEKUN is eying the TONSU seat.
Other women have nominated for the individual seats on mainland Bougainville and their names would be available to us by tomorrow.
In the 2010 ABG General Elections the former ABG member representing the women of Central Bougainville, MAGDALEN TOROANSI contested the Presidential seat which was won by Chief DR. JOHN MOMIS.

Ends

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