REFERENDUM Results on Bougainville’s Independence, the Melanesian Framework and the Joint Consultation Report have finally been tabled in the PNG Parliament.
Regional Member for Bougainville, Peter Tsiamalili Jnr said the four Bougainville members in the National Parliament carry the weight of the mandate and aspirations of the people of Bougainville.
Speaking during the tabling of the Bougainville Referendum Results, Tsiamalili said the Referendum result was clear, peaceful and decisive.
“Today, the sacrifices of our past meet the responsibilities of our present. These documents are not merely administrative papers. They carry the democratically expressed voice, sacrifices, hopes and aspirations of the people of Bougainville.” said Tsiamalili Jnr.
The Bougainville Peace Agreement was signed on 30th August 2001 and from 23rd to 7th December 2019 a referendum was held in Bougainville. Of all the eligible Bougainvilleans who voted, 97.7 per cent voted for independence from Papua New Guinea.
In Parliament yesterday, Tsiamalili said the referendum should not be reduced to partisan politics or treated as a contest between Bougainville and Papua New Guinea.
“The people of Bougainville placed their trust in the Bougainville Peace Agreement, the National Constitution and the democratic process. That trust has now brought their voice to the floor of Parliament,” Tsiamalili said.
“This is not a Government versus Opposition matter. It is a solemn national responsibility arising from our shared history, the National Constitution and the commitments made under the Bougainville Peace Agreement,” Tsiamalili added.
He assured Bougainvilleans that their referendum mandate had not been forgotten.
“Your voice has reached the National Parliament. Your vote has not been forgotten. Your sacrifices have not been forgotten. Your patience, discipline and commitment to peace have brought us to this historic moment,” said Tsiamalili.
Minister for Bougainville Affairs, Manese Makiba said if the PNG Parliament ultimately determines not to accept the referendum results, the national government believes that a constructive way forward consistent with the objectives and principles of the BPA remains feasible.
“The first element of that pathway would be the completion of the draw down and effective exercise of all remaining autonomous powers available to Bougainville under Part XIV of the Constitution,” said Makiba.
Chairman of the Parliamentary Bipartisan Committee on Bougainville Matters and Rabaul MP Dr. Allan Marat explained that Part XIV of the Constitution only applies to Bougainville and is not available to other provinces in PNG contemplating secession.
“The political leadership of PNG today is too mature for this kind of fear and will not allow any slight indication from other provinces to break away from the rest of PNG,” said Marat.
While the Autonomous Bougainville Government exercises transferred powers from the National Government, the PNG Government retains overarching national constitutional powers, foreign affairs, defense, and an ultimate ratification control over Bougainville’s political future.
Makiba said today Parliament is called to fulfil the responsibility entrusted to it based on the BPA and the National Constitution.
“We do so not as representatives of one region or one constituency alone, but as custody of the national interest and guardians of a peace that has been more than two decades in the making,” said Makibe
As regional MP for Bougainville Tsiamalili Jnr urged members of parliament to carefully study the referendum results, Joint Consultation Report and Melanesian Framework before the substantive debate and final parliamentary decision.
“When Parliament makes its final determination, every member must speak and vote with knowledge, clarity and conscience. The eyes of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, the Pacific and the international community are now upon our Parliament. History will judge us not only by the decision we make, but by the maturity, wisdom and respect with which we make it,” Tsiamalili concluded.