Toroama: Focus on our mission

The National National
Ishmael Toroama

THE Bougainville public service has been challenged to align itself with the Bougainville independence mission that is currently being rolled out by the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG). The ABG is currently launching the independence mission implementation for each constituency throughout Bougainville with 11 constituencies having already launched the initiative. This programme is based on preparing Bougainville to become independent by strengthening its socioeconomic and political capacities. President Ishmael Toroama said that under his six-point strategy, asserting administrative control over the public service required the Bougainville public service to effectively deliver the government’s political vision. Toroama said that the ABG’s Department of Personnel Management needed to immediately facilitate the:

  • AUDIT of the Bougainville public service;
  • CREATION of a homegrown Bougainville Public Service Act;
  • CREATION of the Bougainville Public Service General Orders to operationalise the Act; and,
  • RESTRUCTURING of the Bougainville public service with capacity building at the four regional officers (inclusion of the Atolls as the fourth Region).

“These are issues that have existed for far too long which impede progress in the public service,” he said.
“My government is committed to creating an industrious society in Bougainville so the public service must be prepared to reform itself from the prevalent corporate culture of the past that gave way for wastage of resources, corruption and complacency to thrive.” Toroama warned public servants who had been defying government directives that the government would be enforcing sterner measures to deal with them. Toroama has been travelling throughout Bougainville to each constituency to launch their independence ready missions, which is an integral part of the Bougainville independence mission. The public service, through their respective departments and institutions, are also required to adopt the Bougainville independence mission and start preparing for independence.