Don
Wiseman, RNZ Pacific Senior Journalist
Scott
Waide, RNZ Pacific PNG correspondent
14
March 2025
Papua New Guinea’s Minister for
Bougainville Affairs has told members of parliament (MPs)
about the difficulties in getting the Bougainville
referendum outcome to parliament.
His comments came
just two days after the Bougainville Leadership Forum set
1 September 2027 as the date for Bougainville
independence, in frustration at the holdup.
The Forum
was established by Bougainville’s Minister responsible for
implementing independence, Ezekiel Masatt.
He said
that while some may be surprised at the date announced, he
is not.
“I think it’s a natural progression of what’s
happening on Bougainville. I think this is a genuine attempt
to address some of these issue. I think the people of
Bougainville are now demanding a bit more certainty in terms
of the independence agenda,” he said.
“The Leaders
Consultation Forum has now decided that it is time, on the
eve of the moderation process, that the national government
and the whole world is informed of the people’s intentions
to now provide a specific date – that being the 1st of
September 2027.”
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Manasseh Makiba confirmed that the
key delay is due to his requirement that the tabling of the
referendum needs the backing of two-thirds of MPs, while
Bougainville is opting for a simple
majority.
Consultations with the international
moderator, former New Zealand Governor-General Sir Jerry
Mataparae, will be held next week.
“Madam Speaker, the
reason the referendum result has not been brought quickly in
parliament is simply because the consultation is still in
progress,” he told parliament this week.
“And as soon
as the international mediator completes his findings, they
will be presented to parliament together with the referendum
result. We are hoping that the international mediator will
complete his report before the end of July this
year.”
Makiba said that Sir Jerry may find a solution
to the impasse or separately recommend that the PNG
government take another approach.
“A possible
political settlement that the government can propose to
parliament, for parliament to decide.”
A former
Bougainville regional MP in the PNG parliament Joe Lera
believes that the announcement of an independence date is
premature.
Lera doubts whether there has been enough
consultation and negotiation.
He said that before
independence can be agreed to, Bougainville needs to show it
is ready from a nation-building perspective.
“Not just
from the referendum result perspective,” he said.
“To
me, both these two sides should balance [and] syncronise. We
should be ready financially, we should be ready in the
pillars of nation-building – government, people, public
services, private sector, economy, education – all these
areas.”
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