Bipartisan Committee consultations continue
As Bougainville progresses through the final stages of constitution-making, the national ratification process is also gaining momentum, with the National Bipartisan Committee on Bougainville Matters actively engaging with leaders and communities across the region this week.
Vice President and Attorney General Hon. Ezekiel Masatt highlighted that while the constitution-making is a Bougainville-led process, the broader political pathway requires continued collaboration between the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) and the National Government.
He noted that both governments had encountered disputes along the way, prompting a mediation process that resulted in the appointment of a moderator and a renewed framework for cooperation.
“We have that Melanesian Agreement that we signed which paved the way forward for the two governments, I know that President and Prime Minister had already discussed and agreed to call for an urgent Joint Supervisory Body (JSB) Meeting to try and move this process forward in terms of the Melanesian Agreement. I am thankful that the members of the Bipartisan were present in the discussions of Burnham talks,” he said.
Masatt stressed that although ratification rests solely with the National Parliament, the entire process has its foundation in the Bougainville Peace Agreement (BPA), which remains the preferred route for achieving independence for Bougainville.
Masatt added that the ratification is the matter for the national parliament but this whole process has come about through the BPA and therefore it is still the preferred option for this government – that we achieve independence through peace in which PNG as the mother country acknowledges our pain and cry and there should be no disputes, as the people have spoken and that is how we obtain independence through peace.
The Bipartisan Committee attended the BCA swearing-in ceremony this week in Buka and began its series of consultations in North Bougainville earlier this week. The Committee is chaired by Hon. Dr Allan Marat and includes Sir Puka Temu, Hon. Sasindran Muthuvel, Hon. Francesca Riana Semoso and Hon. William Powi.
The Committee travelled to Arawa yesterday and is meeting today with citizens from Central and South Bougainville as part of ongoing public engagement to gather views on the ratification process. The Central Bougainville consultation is being held at the Sharp Memorial Center in Arawa town.
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