Toroama: Tell us the plan

By MIRIAM ZARRIGA

BOUGAINVILLE President Ishmael Toroama says the National Government must tell the people of Bougainville its plans on granting independence to Bougainville within the timeframe set in Wabag in July.
In a room full of leaders from both sides of Government, Toroama appealed to Prime Minister James Marape that “it is now time to let my people go”.
Toroama made the call at the joint consultative body meeting at Apec Haus in Port Moresby yesterday saying that the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) had taken the consultative process as far as it could and it was time to address the issue of independence directly.
He said the Government had failed to renegotiate the Panguna mining agreement twice aggravating the concerns of his people.
That failure by the Government and Bougainville Copper Ltd to genuinely address the concerns regarding the environmental issues, led to demonstrations by landowners.
He said history had shown that the Government could not be relied on to protect the rights of its citizens and therefore independence for Bougainville was the only option.
Toroama said his people had followed the Bougainville Peace Agreement which had seen many developments politically, economically, socially and administratively and with a final political settlement the ultimate goal.

He said weapons disposal was a major achievement as was the first referendum on independence which had returned a clear desire by Bougainvilleans for independence.
Toroama was critical of the Government and Parliament for displaying a lack of trustworthiness by not fulfilling its obligations to fully funding the constitutionally guaranteed restoration and development grants for Bougainville.