‘Final Hurdle’: Bougainville Sets Non-negotiable Terms For Independence

The Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) president
says the people of Bougainville will not accept any unlawful
veto by the Papua New Guinea parliament of their democratic
decision for self-determination.

Ishmael Toroama made
the comments at the Second Joint Moderation Meeting in Port
Moresby on Tuesday.

Toroama said the outcome of the
referendum must now be implemented in good faith, according
to a statement from the ABG.

He called on all parties,
including international partners, to respect the outcome of
the 2019 referendum in which Bougainvilleans overwhelmingly
voted in favour of independence.

The statement said
that Toroama made it clear that Bougainville maintains two
non-negotiable positions:

• 1. That Bougainville’s
  independence model is as defined on the referendum ballot;
  and
• 2. That the date for independence remains 1
  September 2027.

“The two governments’ task in
the moderation process must be about defining the
relationships the two sovereign nations must have on
Independence Day,” Toroama was quoted as
saying.

Toroama also highlighted the need to resolve
the outstanding issue of Section 342 of the PNG
Constitution, which relates directly to the implementation
of the referendum outcome.

“The referendum result is
the record of a fact that 97.7% of the people voted for
independence.

“No parliament can disclaim the accuracy
of a record.”

According to the ABG statement, Toroama
reiterated that the moderation process is not about
negotiating alternative models or transitional arrangements,
but about the implementation of independence.

“This is
our process. We have met all benchmarks set in the
Bougainville Peace Agreement, including weapons disposal and
good governance. We are now at the final hurdle,” he
said.

Toroama has also called on international
partners, especially the signatories to the Bougainville
Peace Agreement (BPA), to support the peace process and
uphold the principles in the BPA.

“There are
international signatories to the BPA and it is incumbent on
them to support the outcome of the referendum, the
consultation process and the endorsement of the referendum
results.”

“It is not enough anymore to remain silent
nor to say that the Bougainville issue is an internal PNG
sovereign issue. This call is not only limited to the BPA
signatory countries, but also to the contributing countries
to the Bougainville peace process and the referendum
process.”

Toroama presented a document titled The
Bougainville Memoir – Arguing the Bougainville Case to
the Bougainville independence talks moderator Sir Jerry
Mateparae.

The ABG said the memoir captures
Bougainville’s painful history, the resilience of its
people, and their journey toward
independence.

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