bel kol payment, page-2

Uma: Bel kol threatens B’ville customary values

Post Courier
By ROMULUS MASIU

Me’ekamui strongman and the chairman of the Me’ekamui Council of Chiefs Chris Uma has challenged all Bougainvilleans to return to their roots and learn the fundamental customary values.
Mr Uma said it is very important that the people of Bougainville know the fundamental customary values that govern and control land issues, laws governing social responsibilities, feasting, marital laws, traditional burial and other important details that makes us a unique culture and race of people.
Mr Uma said the modern era has brought about some foreign issues that are challenging these traditional values and if we are not careful our customs will be lost.
He said the recent issue of domang minta (bel kol) which was in the headlines and involves Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL), a company owned and controlled by foreigners, was allowed or even permitted to be discussed or planned to highjack a custom that gives status or commands respect and dignity for the chiefs.
Mr Uma said in Bougain-ville customs nobody but the chiefs call for a domang minta but the chief or number of chiefs from several clans deal with the matter depending on the importance of nature of the issue at the highest level and decide the appropriate course of action and no one else.
“If you remove this role from the chiefs then you set a very bad precedence that will destroy our values and custom,” Mr Uma said, adding that the Bougainville crisis falls under this category because so many lives were lost – not only Bougainvilleans but Papua New Guinean servicemen and civilians.
“We took the lives of these Papua New Guineans and now we have bel kol and what about them?” Mr Uma asked those who are spearheading the bel kol arrangement in collaboration with BCL and Rio Tinto.
Mr Uma bluntly said it is irresponsible and disrespectful to the chiefs of Bougainville for the government of the day, Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) and the state or Bougainville Copper Limited to plan this customary ritual without seeking advice and direction from the Me’ekamui Council of Chiefs, which Mr Uma is a party to.
Mr Uma reiterated that the people who planned this bel kol should be ashamed of themselves because they have failed to respect the relatives of those that lost their loved ones or ignored the history of the Bougainville crisis – which was started by only one man and has cost many lives.