Don’t use B’ville for political gain

GONE are the days of Sir Noel Levi, Sir John Kaputin, Kilroy Genia to name a few of our very own Henry Kissingers, who graced the world of statesmanship with an aura of dignity and proudly wore Papua New Guinea on their sleeves.
Those who ardently followed the Bougainville reconciliation and peace process right from the beginning wouldn’t miss former Foreign Affairs minister Genia’s remarkable skills of negotiation and statesmanship in finding a diplomatic solution.
Secession was never on the agenda.
Our leaders and negotiators at the time were so mindful in the peace talks to never compromise the sovereignty of Papua New Guinea.
In every way possible, our unity in diversity as one nation, one country and one people was defended right up to the hilt.
Not until in 1997 former prime minister, the late Sir William Skate opened the flood gates to Bougainville self-determination.
Notorious Sir William with alleged connections to Port Moresby’s criminal underworld soon brought the country to its knees.
His erratic fiscal mismanagement jeopardised PNG’s standing with international aid donors and investors.
Coupled with economic mismanagement the country suffered in his two-year rule through a prolonged drought, a tsunami that killed some 2,000 people and the Asian financial crisis hurting the country’s exports, Sir William needed something to salvage his dying popularity.
He set foot on Bougainville as the first PNG prime minister since the conflicts started in 1988.
Sir William committed to fast-track the peace process.
In mid-1999, he resigned to avoid a no-confidence motion.
Former United States president Abraham Lincoln once said: “The central idea of secession is the essence of anarchy”. Now it is stomach churning when “lesser men”, men not grounded on smart statesmanship are attempting the Bougainville question.
Today, Prime Minister James Marape’s government is no different to Sir William’s.
PNG is confronted with a worst ever economic recession, now heavily relying on tax with the closure of all revenue streams, blatant economic mismanagement killing off investor confidence, public debts racing pass manageable thresholds, mine and business closure leaving thousands out of job and an over sensitised Covid-19 pandemic with billions of emergency funding becoming the Government’s milking cow while imposing unnecessary restrictions.
Bougainville may again pose as a perfect sacrificial lamb to salvage the Government’s plunging popularity.
It is best for the country that Marape, a man standing at the very shadow end of the statesmanship pool to not try grandstand the Bougainville issue for political expediency.

David Lepi