Bougainville autonomy

Let me first of all thank Professor Thomas Webster, of the National Research Institute, for taking the initiative to educate both Papua New Guineans and Bougainvilleans on the Bougainville Referendum and the fact that both the national Government and the Bougainville governments should be aware of the time when implementing the referendum as a third pillar of the Bougainville Peace Agreement.
As I sat watching Professor Webster’s presentation on the Bougainville Referendum during the NBC Prfess Club conference in Port Moresby recently, I was quite shocked to hear Professor Thomas Webster’s description of the level of Bougainville Autonomy.
Dr Webster described the level of autonomy for Bougainville as one of the highest forms of autonomous states and is equivalent to the status of free association between New Zealand and the Cook Islands or between the United States and Pueto Rico.
My view is that although many academics may regard Bougainville’s autonomy as the highest form of autonomous state, it cannot be put on the same level as the existing free association between the Cook Islands and New Zealand or of that between the United States and Pueto Rico or between the US and Palau.
It is true that under the Peace Agreement and the PNG national Constitution, the Bougainville government has assumed executive, legislative and judicial powers and functions from the national Government .
Under the Bougainville Peace Agreement, the national Government only retains 11 powers which obviously allows PNG to continue to assume sovereignty over Bougainville.
These powers include telecommunications, highly migratory straddling fish stocks, currency, foreign affairs, defence, international trade and citizenship.
The free association arrangements, like total political independence, simply removes state sovereignty in part or completely. Under the free association arrangement between New Zealand and the Cook Islands, the Cook Islands government assumes foreign affairs and international trade. This means, that the Cook Islands may enter into any treaty with other States and international organisations and bodies without consulting with New Zealand.
This is similar to the arrangement between Pueto Rico and the US and that of Palau and the US where foreign affairs and international trade are completely assumed by the associated states and not by either NZ or the US,
although these associated states still use the NZ and US currency and remain NZ and US citizens. In the case of Bougainville’s autonomy, international trade and foreign affairs still remain with the ABG while PNG continues to assume sovereignty over Bougainville.
Therefore, to say that Bougainville’s autonomy is one of the highest forms of autonomous states and equivalent to the free association applied between the Cook Islands and NZ may be misleading.
We need to understand that Bougainville’s autonomy does not in any way distract PNG’s State sovereignty.
However, with the Bougainville Referendum expected to be held before 2020, apart from choosing immediate independence, Bougainvilleans may also consider including an option for free association with Papua New Guinea so that if Papua New Guinea is not prepared to grant total independence to Bougainville, Bougainville will still exercise full foreign affairs and international trade powers, through the free association arrangement, and perhaps in future, Bougainville may opt to terminate this free association arrangement with Papua New Guinea for total independence, at a time in future which becomes convenient to Bougainville.

J.Kumarara