PM confident B’ville ready for referendum

PRIME Minister James Marape is confident that Bougainvilleans are ready to hold the referendum to decide their future on Nov 23.
“And after the referendum, we can carry on negotiations in charting the future of PNG and Bougainville in a true Melanesian way,” he said.
Marape said he was happy with the outcome of the Joint Supervisory Body meeting on Buka yesterday.
“We have agreed to transfer the economic powers to ABG for them to generate their own revenue to sustain themselves.
“What is political independence when people don’t have money in their pockets to have confidence to make their own decisions?”
Marape said the meeting cleared any misunderstanding on the outstanding Restoration Development Grants (RDG) because money was not important but relationship and people were.
“We have now included the prescribed calculations as stated in the 2001 Bougainville Peace Agreement.
“The national government has to give K81 million in RDG to ABG. And so we will give K100 million next year to make up for lost ground,” he said.
Marape said the K100 million would be paid annually over the next 10 years as “key economic enablers”.
“Economic independence must precede every other conversation,” he said.
“The rest of PNG and Pacific neighbours around us had gained political independence but are still struggling economically. This infrastructure plan goes very much in line with our new vision to make our country and our region of Bougainville economically independent.”