EMOTIONS ran high yesterday for leaders of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville as they watched President John Momis and Prime Minister Peter O’Neill reconcile in a traditional ceremony in Port Moresby.
The ceremony at Parliament House marked the beginning of renewed relations between the two governments that shared a common goal for a better and unified Bougainville.
Chief of South Bougainville Jacob To’oke told Momis and O’Neill the reconciliation meant they were now at a crossroads.
He told Momis and O’Neill that as the representative of the grassroots people of Bougainville their cry was to see the full implementation of autonomy for the region.
“We don’t want politics but want to see and hear of fruitful results from you two leaders by working together,” To’oke said speaking in Tok Pisin.
Momis said negotiations had taken place and were all over and it was now time for implementation of the Bougainville Peace Agreement.
“The Bougainville Peace Agreement is a joint creation of the National Government and the leadership of Bougainville,” he said.
“Through the spirit of this agreement we should deal with issues that affect us.
“We must implement the Bougainville Peace Agreement fully and create an atmosphere where people will cast their votes when the time for the referendum comes between 2015 and 2020.”
Momis said his wanted his people to be free to exercise their choice and right to choose the option that they wished to see come about in future for Bougainville.
BOC Price at posting:
54.0¢ Sentiment: ST Buy Disclosure: Held
A personalised tool to help users track selected stocks. Delivering real-time notifications on price updates, announcements, and performance stats on each to help make informed investment decisions.
(20min delay)