Bougainville’s road to the future

2019 year in review

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
BOUGAINVILLE completed the third process of the Bougainville Peace Agreement (BPA) with the referendum majority voting for independence this year.
Having the referendum is part of the long process for Bougainvilleans to determine their political future after pushing for independence since the 1960s resulting in a bloody 10-year crisis from 1988 to 1998 with about 20,000 lives lost.
And Bougainville is not the only Melanesian people in the Southeast Asian and South Pacific that is pushing for independence.
New Caledonia is also pushing for independence and is now going through a referendum process while Timor Leste has already gone through the referendum and has been an independent nation since 1999.
Referendum for Timor Leste and New Caledonia was binding where there was a time frame set to implement the results whereas Bougainville is non-binding and there is no time frame.

Bougainville
Bougainville, rich with minerals like gold, copper, marine stocks like tuna, forestry and large plantations of cocoa and coconuts situated between PNG and the Solomon Islands.
They were part of the German colony when German colonised New Guinea while the British colonised the Solomon Islands.
Traditionally, prior to the demarcation of the Solomons and PNG, Bougainvilleans had family and traditional ties with the Solomons and they freely moved around maintaining their cultural heritage, a practice that even live up to the present days.
And the BPA came about to end the 10-year crisis and also to determine the political future of Bougainville.
BPA came about after negotiations and mediation with the UN, National Government, Bougainville leaders, Australian and New Zealand governments which was signed in 2001, leading to the establishment of an Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) in 2005.
Under the autonomy arrangement, all the Government powers will be drawn down from the National Government to ABG except Foreign Affairs and Defence.
In the BPA, there must be a referendum 10 years after the formation of ABG but not later than 2020 of which the referendum was held on Nov 20 this year where 97 percent overwhelming majority voted for independence.
Voting ages of 18 were all registered and voting took place throughout PNG, Australia (Brisbane and Cairns) and the Solomon Islands (Honiara and Gizo).
The ballot papers were transported to and counted at Hutjena Secondary School on Bougainville.
After this, the consultation process between the ABG and National Government will take place depending on the readiness of ABG.
Currently, ABG is preparing for their fourth ABG election.
And according to Bougainvile Affairs Minister Sir Puka Temu, there will be an indefinate consultation process to determine the result of the Bougainviile Referendum.
“The consulation (I don’t know how long it will take) will determine Bougainvile’s economical status, movement and residential status of Bougainvilleans in PNG and other political, econocial and social issues that will affect Bougainvilleans,” he said.
“Even if over 80 per cent of the Referendum results is independence, it will not be ratifated by the National Parlaimnet to determine the final political status of Bougainville.”
“There is still a long process to go. And the outcome of the consutation will come to the National Parliament for ratification to determine the final Bougainville’s polictal future”.

New Caledonia
New Caledonia, rich with minerals like cobalt, chrome, nickel and hydrocarbon (oil and gas) in the South Pacific is still under French government since 1853 and are now going through a referendum process.
New Caledonia has also gone through forms of civil war and violence.
The deadliest one was the Ouvéa cave hostage taking in April 22, 1988, where 27 French senior government officials were taken hostages by the local militants.
The first referendum to decide New Caledonia’s political future was in 1958 with only two per cent of the population voting for independence.
This referendum was set up during the then president Charles De Caulle’s government to convince the UN that they are doing away with colonialism.
Another referendum organised by the UN signed on June 26, 1988, under the Matignon Agreements was held in 1987 which again about two per cent (1.7 per cent) voted for independence.
Another referendum under the Noumea Accord Agreement 1998 led to the 2018 referendum which saw the biggest leap with 43 per cent voting for independence.
There are two more referendum to be held in 2020 and the final one in 2022.

Timor Leste
Timor Lese, with its vast oil resources in the South east Asia sharing a land border with Indonesians and a maritime border with Australia was once East Timor.
This was after the Timor Island was split by the Dutch and Portuguese colonisers in 1769.
And when the Portuguese gave them Independence in November 1975, in a controversial move, the Indonesians invaded and occupied East Timor till East Timor became independent in 2002 through a referendum process and changed their name to Timor Leste.
For Timor Leste, there was a rebellion activity with guerrilla warfare between Indonesia military forces that saw many civilians become victims.
But the breakthrough was the Santa Cruz cemetery massacre in Nov 11, 1991, where 250 locals campaigning for independence were killed by Indonesian soldiers.
That led to the speeding up of the referendum discussion with negotiations between Portuguese, Indonesia and the UN.
And the options to be voted were (1) to be greater autonomy but still remain under Indonesian government or (2) independence.
On Aug 30 1999, the people of Timor-Leste cast their ballots in a UN–administered popular consultation to determine the fate of the country, with 78.5 per cent voting to separate from Indonesia.
The agreement signed on May 5, 1999, was binding.
And after that, the UN set up a transitional government which was led by UN Secretary General’s special representative for two years.
Afterwards, the UN handed over power to Timor Lese new government, which was formed through a democratic election.
The UN also help funded the economy of Timor Leste to start them off to become economically and politically independent
Note: Special thanks to senior Timor Leste journalists Rosa Garcia and Namo Rico on information on Timor Lese referendum.