BCPC concludes Southern Region consultations for Bougainville’s Independent Constitution draft
Bougainville Constitutional Planning Commission (BCPC) resumed its second phase consultation at the national level this month.
BCPC Southern Region were the second team after Team NGI, commuting with Bougainvilleans in Western and Gulf provinces respectively to workshop the first draft of Bougainville’s independent constitution.
The team began consultations in Western Province on the 18th of October, splitting in two groups, with one team covering Kiunga town whilst the other team met with Bougainvilleans in the mining township of Tabubil.
Bougainville citizens in Kiunga and Ningerum attended a day session at the Cassowary Hotel in Kiunga, whilst the second team in Tabubil had an intensive weekend of discussions at the Tabubil Country Club, hosting day and night sessions bringing together Bougainville mine employees and local residents to share their views on the first of the Bougainville constitution.
BCPC Commissioner and Team Leader David Maliku emphasized the importance of this visit as a continuation of their previous engagement in 2023.
He urged the community to voice their opinions on what should be added, corrected, or removed, ensuring that the final document would authentically reflect their desires.
He noted that this could be the last consultative meeting before the team presents their findings to the Bougainville Constitutional Commission and its drafters to deliberate further, amending changes for the second and final draft.
There was great enthusiasm shown, as community members actively participated, sharing insights and expressing gratitude to the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) for involving them in this historic process.
Many attendees acknowledged the significance of their voices in shaping the constitution, recognizing it as a vital step toward their collective future.
The consultations in Kiunga and Tabubil ended on Sunday 19th October and continued with Daru and Kerema consultation on 23rd and 25th October respectively.
The visit to Daru and Kerema were the first for BCPC, however, Bougainvilleans in these provinces showed their enthusiasm and pride to contribute by traveling the rivers and mountains of Gulf Province to attend the one-day consultation.
The Bougainville community in Daru, after presenting their views to the constitution, acknowledged the Autonomous Bougainville Government for giving them the opportunity to be part of a historical exercise in drafting a new constitution.
As a token of appreciation, the Daru Bougainville community also presented a gift to be placed in the Bougainville House of Representative to remind all current and future leaders of this historical era.
The Gulf and Western Province consultations ended last week Friday 25th of October. These two provinces finally conclude the consultations in the Southern Region of Papua New Guinea – Milne Bay and Northern Provinces were completed in May and August of this year.
Meanwhile BCPC consultations in the Momase and the Highlands Region of PNG are currently underway. Momase consultations began in Madang last weekend and are currently in Wewak, whilst the Highlands consultations began in Goroka over the weekend and are currently in Mt. Hagen.
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