Bougainville reassured of referendum progress

PRIME Minister James Marape has assured the people and leaders of Bougainville that the agreement to progress the 2019 Referendum results has not been abandoned.
“Bougainville Affairs Minister Manaseh Makiba is now preparing all instruments for the referendum results to be brought to Parliament,” Marape said in a statement.
A Joint Supervisory Body (JSB) meeting is scheduled for April 29 where Bougainville President Ishmael Toroama and Marape will discuss the last leg of the 2001 Bougainville Peace Agreement (BPA), focusing on Parliament ratifying the results of the referendum.
“The JSB meeting will clarify the process, including the sessional order that will be deployed, to bring the referendum result to Parliament, and what happens after voting takes place,” he explained.
“This has been one of the issues which the Bougainville and Papua New Guinea sides have differed on,” Marape said.
Marape recalled the significant voter support for independence.
“I am very mindful that 97.7 per cent of Bougainvilleans voted for political independence and acknowledge the overwhelming support for this outcome,” he said.
“The 2001 BPA, under the guidance of the United Nations, allowed for the referendum to take place.
“My government allowed for the referendum to take place in 2019, and since then, we’ve allowed post-referendum consultations to take place on Bougainville, Kokopo, Wabag and Port Moresby which gave clarity to the process for Parliament to take custody of the results of the referendum.”
Parliament will ratify the result.