Simon joins committee on Bougainville Affairs

MAPRIK MP John Simon is the latest MP to be appointed to the Bipartisan Committee on Bougainville Affairs.
Parliament appointed Simon on Friday which brings the number of members in the committee to five.
Minister Assisting the Prime Minister William Samb told The National that the appointment was part of the process to have a full committee.
The committee is made up of members from both sides of the house and is chaired by Southern Highlands Governor William Powi.
“They carry out their independent assessment of whether the autonomous region government is working and the funding allocated is being used to deliver services,” Samb said.
“They report to Parliament on their findings.”
Clerk of Parliament Vela Konivaro said there was a vacancy in the committee and Simon’s appointment had made it a complete committee.
Simon said it was a parliamentary committee to assist on the Bougainville issues.
“Due to the timing factor, I was appointed to assist with speeding up the process as the deadline (June) for the referendum is approaching,” Simon said.
The other members of the committee are Bougainville Governor Joe Lera, Manus Governor Charlie Benjamin and Samarai-Murua MP Isi Henry Leonard.