Tread cautiously for lasting peace

 WE have recently seen a flurry of press advertising by the Bougainville Autonomous Government and another group purporting to “protect” Bougainville from exploitation.

They were brought about by the publication of a draft Mining Act for Bougainville. 

It is, understandably, a sticking point because mining by Bougainville Copper Limited at Panguna was at the heart of the Bougainville uprising.

As the draft act is being debated, there are discussions further afield to revive the Bougainville copper mine at Panguna. 

This is important because the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) badly needs the income from the mine to carry out the pressing work of rebuilding the region.

We are appealing for caution and measured progress. 

From a distance, peace appears to have finally settled over the region nine years after the signing of the peace agreement.

However, peace is just the absence of the violence that enveloped this region for 15 years from 1987. 

The conflict between se­curity forces has ended. But on the ground, it is an uneasy peace.  

There are undercurrents of tension, suspicion, distrust and fear too deep 

to expunge with ease.

Disarmament, the second tenet in the three pillars of the peace agreement, has spectacularly failed for all intents and purposes because of this. 

The bulk of the guns remain in the hands of ex-combatants and others.

It is understandable.

Brothers fought brothers, families against families and clans clashed in this conflict. 

Peace has not been brokered at that level yet. 

If guns remain in the hands of ex-combatants it is for their own security, and not to perpetrate fresh violence. 

The lack of a strong police presence and the condition that police cannot bear arms reinforce this position.

Since January last year the people at the heart of the conflict, the Panguna landowners, have been attacking this most difficult of tasks – achieving reconciliation and peace at the personal, family and community level in Panguna and throughout Bougainville.

Panguna Landowner Association deputy chairman, Michael Pariu told The National last year: “There is a lot of insecurity and fear. We have to end the fear before we can advance further.”

Pariu and leaders of a collection of all factions in Panguna are only just attempting to foster unity but that is in its infancy. 

A lot of nurturing will have to go into it.

The factions include the Panguna landowners’ association, the youth, churches, women, chiefs, Meka’amui defence forces and the ex-combatants. 

Each has its own issues, its own hurts from the conflict, its own memories.

A time frame of five years from last year has been given and the leaders are adamant that nothing – not referendum, not independence, not disarmament and not reopening of the copper mine – can happen without lasting peace and unity at the factional level.

This must be understood by the ABG, the national government and whoever else who has an interest in Bougainville.

Unless the insecurity and fear are erased, there can be no real lasting peace. 

It is incumbent upon both governments to fund the reconciliation programme that is slowly creating peace and unity among all parties. 

The Panguna way-forward-to-peace initiative has led to the formation of the Panguna Management Consultative Committee. 

This committee needs support and funding to carry out this all-important work.

The crisis started in Panguna. It must end in Panguna when all factions are united and reconciliation and peace has been established down to the grassroots.

Economic recovery and any progress in the autonomous region of Bougainville is dependent on the mine re-opening but the mine cannot re-open if the insecurity and fear are not removed and real peace is not achieved on the ground.