Do not copy Bougainville

WHILE a lot of people including NRI analyst have missed them, there are more positives than negatives for both PNG and Bougainville for the upcoming referendum and its aspirations.
This is not to ignore the open secret that Bougainville now has a huge lack of credible administrators who will be able to chivalrously manage Bougainville and carry the burdens if their aspirations for independence is achieved.
Moreover, there is a mistaken belief that Bougainville has world class leadership.
Many good leaders were decimated by the crisis and what they have now are nothing but unproductive and borrowed story tellers from New Ireland, who need good directors and actors to exhibit the epitomes of their stories to their people.
Indeed, Bougainville has a lot of resources, just like PNG, but it now lacks the expertise to develop them because it has been unable to train any due to the disruptions by the crisis.
First and foremost, PNG will cease to be copycats of Bougainville’s childish behaviour of always crying for milk from the mother.
Even now, there are many in PNG who are also desirous of more autonomy, akin to what Bougainville is asking for.
PNG should stand up and be creators rather than be copycats of Bougainville.
Playing second fiddle to Bougainville all the time is not good for the image of PNG, because it genuinely has some world class leadership from some provinces and is not respectful to them.
After, 44 years of independence, PNG should now be able to stand on its on two feet and forge its own way forward instead of copying from Bougainville’s idealism all the time. Bougainville’s aspirations are based on their own unique values and principles which is derived from their own unique historical circumstances and should not be blindly envied and copied by any country.
Secondly, thankfully, Bougainville will always support PNG on the international forums where there are issues and concerns which affect both of them.
As Melanesian brothers, this is to be expected.
Thirdly, Bougainville’s budgetary drawdowns will cease and allow PNG to concentrate and develop its other least developed provinces and districts because Bougainville now will be able to finance itself from its own resources.
Fourthly, there will be increase in tourism income for both Bougainville and PNG because travelling between both countries will be much easier and justifiable as people from both countries will have relatives visiting each other and no racial issues and bigotry will tamper their movements.
It is always easier to travel to places where you feel more at home than otherwise.
Fifthly, there will be more opportunities for Papua New Guineans in terms of employment when Bougainvilleans leave the mainland once they attained their independence.
Nowadays, there are lots of Bougainvilleans occupying jobs that Papua New Guineans could be doing. PNG has a huge unemployment problem and cleaving Bougainville may assist to reduce its unemployment problem.
In fact PNG will not miss Bougainville because the latter is nothing but a small portion of PNG in terms of both land mass and population, not forgetting its current contribution to the economy of PNG.
PNG now has many world class projects making huge impacts internally and internationally.
Hence, it will be good if PNG can happily remove Bougainville from its cravings.

D Eiso, the neutral assessor
Bougainville