Reconciliation going onTanis on a mission with peace ministryBy...

Reconciliation going on
Tanis on a mission with peace ministry
By GORETHY KENNETH

A MAJOR reconciliation is underway in Panguna, Central Bougainville to start the first event for this year under the newly established peace ministry led by Minister Robert Hamal Sawa and chief executive officer Dennis Kuiai. Autonomous Bougainville Gov0-ernment president James Tanis told a press conference that the people of Panguna, especially the family of Mathew Kove and Panguna landowners, were set to reconcile before any small reconciliation can take place. He said now that he had K4 million allocated for this purpose and weapons disposal from the national government, he had to be seen to start from somewhere. “We have to start from the big one instead of going around in the circle,” Mr Tanis said. “Now it is the time to strengthen the peace work and it is time to rid the region of guns. Bougainville must reconcile after all this is the key to prosperity.” Mr Tanis praised the Peace Ministry set up recently as it would now be the designated ministry aimed at responding to post conflict issues. “The administration of Bougainville has not been designed to respond to post conflict situations and that’s why we have not moved forward in the last years,” Mr Tanis said yesterday. “Now, with this new transitional ministry (Peace) which is designed to respond to the post conflict issues. We are now able to go forward and carry out the programs set.” He said there was now a clear demarcation and line of duty – and this office would see an effective co-ordination in all non-government organisations and other entities involved in peace building. This is because in the past years, there had been all these organisations dealing with these issues of peace but no co-ordination.