Voters urged to vote wisely

The National Letters

WHILE campaigning for the Bougainville election is on, the excitement on the ground is high.
The candidates standing for the presidential seat are a mixture of both new and old.
In deciding which candidate one should look for, it is important for the voter to understand that after the election results are released and after the new members are elected, the new president will be faced with an immediate challenge to get his new elected leaders to face the PNG Government to consult on the results of the referendum.
The question one should be asking is; among those intending candidates, which candidate is highly capable to take the leadership role in putting to the PNG team the views of the people expressed through the recent referendum.
The degree of capability of the candidate should be determined by the following factors:

  • CANDIDATE’S in-depth knowledge of the Bougainville history, Bougainville Peace Agreement, Bougainville and PNG constitution and more importantly wider knowledge of the principles of international laws. Obviously lawyers running for the presidential seat would fit into this category;
  • CANDIDATES who have already been exposed to politics. ABG members and technical officers within the ABG public Service and citizens who have been in the forefront of the Bougainville peace talks would fall under this category;
  • CANDIDATES who have suffered with the people during the Bougainville conflict. These category of people will never let Bougainvillea’s ultimate goal of statehood down. They will always lead the fight for Bougainville. These are ex-combatants who want to complete what they have started since 1989; and,
  • HONEST candidates whose immediate goals are to eradicate corruption in the ABG public service.

Among the candidates vying for the presidential seat, four people fall under the above categories.
Other intending candidates who do not fall under the above categories would be more suitable to stand for the presidential seat only after Bougainville’s political future has been permanently determined.

Alphonse Heumito,
South Sea Islander