Vice President Masatt: Joint Technical talks underway to bring finality to Bougainville’s political process
ABG Vice President and Minister for Bougainville Independence Mission, Hon. Ezekiel Masatt, says structured engagements are underway between the ABG and the National Government, under the guidance of a United Nations Independent Facilitator.
Vice President Masatt announced this when delivering his ministerial update in parliament this week.
“Mr. Speaker, I want to state here that progressive meetings on the Melanesian Framework have been held between the two Governments under the guidance of the UN Independent Facilitator, Mr. Richard Smith,” Masatt said.
Both Governments have begun detailed technical discussions, with initial meetings held earlier this month. The Vice President acknowledged the National Government’s position, as conveyed by Manasseh Makiba, particularly the urgency to progress the Framework within the current parliamentary term.
“Mr. Speaker, I can recall Hon. Makiba, Minister for Bougainville Affairs urging both parties to work on the Melanesian Framework as a matter of priority as the National Government was now in election mode and the 11th National Parliament was about to be finished. He aimed to bring the Referendum Results as planned in June National Parliament Session.”
The Vice President reaffirmed Bougainville’s position, stressing the need for a clear process and compliance with the legal requirements for tabling the Referendum results.
“Mr. Speaker, I requested that (1) the process must be clear; (2) real issues/problems are what must be given to Minister Makiba, as I stated that the law was clear on the role of Minister to table the Referendum Result. However, I also re-emphasized that as far as the Referendum Result was concerned, ‘independence choice’ was compulsory and 97.7% of Bougainvilleans voted for the Independence choice with a very clear definition of a separate statehood.”
He further informed the House that technical and procedural work within the National Parliament is progressing, with the Sessional Order nearing completion to guide the tabling and consideration of the Referendum results.
“Mr. Speaker, the National Government Clerk stated that the Sessional Order was 95% complete. He stated that the Melanesian Agreement provided for work and directives without interference from the two governments.”
The Vice President assured the House that both Governments are now actively progressing their position papers on the Melanesian Framework and noted a shift in the National Government’s position, adding that this stage presents a critical opportunity that must be carefully assessed by Bougainville’s leadership and technical teams.
“Mr. Speaker, there is now the need for the ABG Technical Team and BIMAT to dissect the National Government Team’s proposed Melanesian Framework and see what they really mean as we go through this very fragile opening.”
Looking ahead, Vice President Masatt stressed the importance of clearly distinguishing between political and administrative milestones to ensure that progress toward independence is not unnecessarily delayed.
“Mr. Speaker, however, when looking forward to the coming negotiations, I see that the ABG need to separate political milestones which take shortest time possible away from administration milestones that take a longer time for transition. This is important because I do not wish to see the Declaration of Independence delayed simply because of administration timelines.”
The ABG remains firm on its position to uphold the will of its people while continuing to engage constructively with the National Government to finalise the Melanesian Framework.
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