Tsiamalili appointed vice-minister for Bougainville Affairs

PRIME Minister James Marape has appointed Bougainville Regional MP Peter Tsiamalili Jnr as vice-minister for Bougainville Affairs to assist him in the consultation process during the post-referendum period.
Marape, the Bougainville Affairs Minister, said Tsiamalili would assist him in preparing Bougainvilleans to face their new political future.
A 2019 referendum conducted showed that 98 per cent of Bougainvilleans wanted independence.
“So I will delegate functions to him as we go into the consultation process as stipulated under the 2001 Bougainville Peace Agreement,” Marape said.
Tsiamalili said he would find out what was hindering the implementation of the agreement.
“I want us to work together to draw powers – both political and economic – from Waigani to Buka to successfully implement the BPA,” he said.
“I want the Government and the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) to admit the truth on who is causing the blockage. Only then, can the Arob and Papua New Guinea face the future together.”