Bougainville and the need to get Panguna up, page-23

Toroama’s campaign video provides perhaps the best insight into what his presidency will be like. Importantly Toroama is keen to resume mining and fast-track Bougainville’s path to independence:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGwSB40GnHU

Translation:

0:19- 0:43

In 1995 others and myself sought out Francis Ona and Joseph Kabui at a place called Veranam (sic). When the fighting intensified, we asked these two leaders for a way to achieve independence.

0:43-1:38

Kabui was advocating for peaceful solutions with the PNG Government to end the conflict, while Francis Ona was telling the people that we could only win through warfare (Yumimas kisim independence lo fight). These discussions happed in a meeting (pictured at 1:06) where the BRA split into these two factions. I (Toroama) stood with Joseph Kabui at the meeting while others like Moses Pipiro stood with Ona. That is why today you see a group that calls themselves “Mekamui” (referring to the name that Ona’s group calls themselves).

1:38-4:10

We split into these two camps because we (Kabui group) wanted a peaceful end to the conflict. We went as far as Burnham (referring to the Burnham Declaration). During our work we recruited Jared Sinato(sic) a former inlfuential BRA fighter, who would only sign on the declaration if we had agreed to free five prisoners.

He then goes on to discuss his efforts in going to different towns around Bougainville to free and recruit former soldiers.

4:05-5:29

In the Bougainville peace agreement there are 3 pillars- Weapons disposal (side blong masket), Referendum (side blong referendum) and good governance.

He then discusses how the weapons disposal portion of the agreement was not well received by the soldiers, with most of them going back to Ona’s faction. Toroama says that the men left because they never wanted to lose their guns. To lower the tensions from the agreement, Toroama talks to the rest of his followers about how the environment and politics will change when we vote for independence (referring to the 3^rd pillar in the agreement).

5:29-6:00

Toroama discusses how his faction went around to towns around the island confiscating and destroying weapons, while promising that a referendum will come if they followed through with the agreement.

6:00-10:00

Toroama talks about how there is no leader today that bothered to amend part 14 of the National Constitution to allow Bougainville to allow secede from the country. He says that (referring to the referendum) 98.2% of Bougainville people have made their intentions clear and that the PNG government must act on this referendum.

He talks about how the weapons disposal was verified by the UN and how other former BRA leaders were uncooperative with his efforts to destroy weapons. He then discusses how his efforts in promoting the peace agreement and his efforts in mediating between violent groups and the public quelled tensions in major towns like Arawa, and how emphasising peace and security gradually won them over to his cause.

10:30-18:50

Toroama states his intention to stand for the Presidency of Bouginville. He explains how he never ran away from the cause and his intentions of peace were clear from the beginning as he was one of the major figures who stood with Joseph Kabui. He then explains how through Kabui’s actions, people from Bougainville can live normal lives and travel to and from PNG.

He intends to see through the road map designed by Joseph Kabui to ratify the recent referendum. But to achieve this, he would need to go to the National Parliament, as Prime Minister Marape is aiming for a 5-10 year transitional period for Bougainville to achieve independence. Toroama intends to quicken the transitional period as highlighted by the overwhelming result from the referendum.

He explains that under application of the peace agreement, outsiders and foreigners are welcomed to invest in Bougainville. Despite the recent incidents of crime, he is still operating as mediator between his people and outside groups.

He intends to fasten the ratifying process because he believes that on the Prime Minister’s terms, a 5-10 transition period will outlast and potentially dishearten the independence movement, as a parliamentary term for all office holders is 5 years.

Toroama discusses the original 1976 Bougainville agreement (which had to do with giving Bougainvilleans land rights, which would mean financial benefits to any natural resources) that was unfulfilled by the PNG government, which led to Francis Ona to start forcefully undermining the National Government in 1988. He says that although the intent from Ona was correct, he went about it in the wrong way. He then says after ratifying the current 2019 referendum, Toroama will move to secure land and sea rights for any potential projects in the future.

The fight for independence is over, now we fight to expel the corrupt Bougainville who have been standing in the path of development. He says that he will not go down the path of dictatorship or will not dictate any policy, which is why he set up the new ‘Bougainville Peoples Alliance Party’. He says party policy will reflect the needs of local villagers and landowners, and be a flag carrier for the new Bougainville country. He says that because of his record as a peace mediator and his efforts in spreading the word of the Peace agreement, he will not go down the path of corruption like others.