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Saturday 23 June 2012

Noah Musingku's Words to Bougainville and the World

Extracted from UV-Stract Updates in Face Book
It is my pleasure to address the SIWAI DISTRICT PEACE & SECURITY FORUM today. I was invited by Mr. Peter Siunai of UNDP to make a presentation at your forum today, and I’m glad to have my representative Mr. Philip Mapah present this short speech.

Peace is our number one priority at all times. In the absence of it there is chaos, crisis, bloodshed and the like. However, there are many types and levels of peace making avenues and strategies we Bougainvilleans have been working on through our triune governments [ABG, Meekamui and Papaala].

Papaala Head Office, Tonu

When the first Bougainville Crisis erupted in 1975 I was then doing my grade four (4) at Tonu Primary School. As a child I watched our people burn down police vehicles, offices, residential quarters and other government properties in major centres like Buin, Boku, Kieta and Buka. I saw truckloads of aggressive looking people with spears, knives, axes, spades, shovels, etc, going around digging up airports, burning down aid posts, patrol stations, and anything that represented PNG’s handiwork. Fortunately, no bloodshed was recorded.

When the second Bougainville Crisis erupted in 1989 I was then studying at UNITECH, Lae. I came home for the Christmas holidays in November 1988 and realized an aura of intensity. Our Panguna Landowners were already hard in protests, and a cold-blooded murder near Aropa of a pregnant woman, had already triggered things to a new level of intensity. Protest marches by Panguna landowners soon turned into an armed conflict, and RAMBOs and MILITANTS were formed to fight back the giant Rio Tinto Mining Conglomerate.

I returned to school and tried to contribute in some meaningful way towards our common struggle for freedom and independence. As I was outside of Bougainville, my main contribution then was in taking care of Bougainville students at various institutions in PNG or further overseas, negotiating for their allowances and scholarships, seeking financial assistance for their food/accommodation during holidays, making press statements on their behalf if/when needed, meeting with governments and making our points known, etc.

Ten (10) years later in 1997 our Co-Presidents late Francis Ona and Joseph Kabui split Bougainville’s leadership into what we have today. Vice President Kabui opted for a softer stand against PNG claiming that round table discussion was the only way forward for Bougainville, whilst President Ona took a hard stand claiming that since our army had already won the battle against foreign intruders, there was no need for such discussions.

Those who sided with Vice President Kabui followed a Peace Process funded by Australia and New Zealand. The entire process became publically known as the “Bougainville Peace Process”, and the international community was heavily involved in funding peace and security for our people. Various political settlements were discussed including greater provincial governance, autonomy, statehood, free association, independence, etc, and they finally settled on Autonomy.

Those who sided with President Ona also followed a Peace Process of their own, funded from their own pockets. Their Peace Process was designed to be implemented without surrendering their guns. The UNOMB head of mission Ambassador Noel Sinclair soon recognized Meekamui’s stand as proper and handed a set of UN rules including universal declaration of principles for indigenous rights, human rights, etc. In doing so, the UN formally recognized both governments as proper and legal.

Thus, since 1997/98 Bougainville has had two UN recognized governments running in parallel or side by side. Both governments are legal, legitimate, and wholly representative of the indigenous people of Bougainville. There are however, several interesting differences between the two governing systems:

(i) Those under ABG stream are obligated under their agreements to surrender and/or dispose off, or containerize their guns. Those under Meekamui are not obliged to surrender their arms as ex combatants may simply register the serial numbers of their guns with their government and keep the guns in their possession.

(ii) Those under ABG receive annual budgetary funds from PNG government, Australia, New Zealand, etc, whilst those under Meekamui receive no such funds but sacrifice to create their own independent/sovereign financial and banking system.

(iii) Those under ABG have easy access to cash funds from PNG and can easily make claims and/or submissions for funding from their government whilst those under Meekamui have to sacrifice and painstakingly wait for their government system to complete and deliver their long awaited funds when ready.

INTERNATIONAL DEBT CONTROL SYSTEM

1. So far our ABG has incurred about PGK 1.00 billion worth of debt (dinau) to/from Australia and New Zealand which our children will be required to repay in future. All the monies that Australia and NZ have given to Bougainville since 1997 under the Bougainville Peace Process will be calculated as foreign debt and passed onto our central bank for repayment. In other words, our own government is knowingly or unknowingly tying up our children /grand children to huge external debts (dinau).

2. Accordingly, by the time Bougainville is granted referendum and independence under that system our external debts will have reached many billions of Kina. It seems that our educated elites, economists, diplomats and politicians do not understand the “modus operandi” of the present international debt system. They think that the funding they are getting from foreign countries such as PNG, Australia, NZ, Japan and China, is “free money from some Santa Claus overseas”. One day our children will curse us at our graves for leaving such a huge debt behind.

3. Why am I saying all this? I believe that true peace and security for Bougainville will be achieved when Bougainville gains her full independence or sovereignty. And full independence /sovereignty will be realized when Bougainville becomes totally free from foreign control. And what is foreign control? Foreign Control is a situation whereby a country is controlled or manipulated from another developed country through the international financial and banking system. And it’s commonly referred to as International Debt Control System.

4. When Bougainville realizes her full independence or sovereignty as a nation there will also be a sense of total freedom, liberty, unity, forgiveness, peace and security flowing naturally at all levels of society. And we are getting closer and closer to our ultimate goal as each day passes. Bougainville will now realize her full freedom, independence and security without incurring any unnecessary foreign debts.

5. Bougainville must realize her independence /sovereignty as a nation in order to experience total peace/harmony on the ground. Of course, we must have sufficient peace and security today to do our daily businesses and perform government tasks, etc, towards independence/sovereignty. And that’s what I believe this forum aims to discuss.

6. However, I’m more concerned about the bigger and overall Peace Process that Bougainville must realize in her developmental process towards full independence, freedom and sovereignty. Bougainville must be free from all foreign debts /dinau. There’s no reason why we should be foolhardily tying up our future generations to huge foreign debts /dinau as we’ve done so far. We must urgently take stock of all our dealings with foreign countries, including PNG, Australia, NZ, Japan and others like China which the ABG is currently courting.

INDEPENDENCE AND SOVEREIGNTY:

There is a huge difference between the concepts of Independence and Sovereignty which many of our people are not aware of. Simply put, a sovereign nation is one that does not owe money to another nation or system. A sovereign nation is supposed to be the head and not the tail, a lender nation and not a borrower nation.

The way Bougainville is going at the moment under ABG is all clouded with foreign debts. As I said above, Bougainville’s external debt /dinau to Australia and NZ has already reached a massive PGK 1.00 billion and will keep increasing. We are following a pre-designed /foreign concept of independence. We cried for independence in 1975 and again in 1990, and our colonizers said “OK we can grant your independence but you must pay for it. We will finance your independence but you will forever be indebted to us”.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have decided to talk on this special subject today because our foreign debt/dinau is increasing daily at an alarming rate. As said above, I fear that by the time ABG completes her agreed process of independence our external debt will have reached about K10 billion. This is too much and must be avoided at all cost. Our educated elites, economists, accountants, bankers, politicians and diplomats have not provided us a solution. Where are they going to get the money to repay these debts? Why are they foolhardily subjecting our future generations to foreign debt control? Is there a way out for Bougainville within the circumstances?

FREEDOM FROM DEBT = PEACE AND TRANQUILITY.

Ladies and gentlemen, you might be wondering why I’m talking about foreign debts/dinau in a forum that is supposed to be discussing about Peace and Security in the Siwai District. Is there any relation between foreign debt/ dinau and peace & security?

It is commonsense that all Bougainville Governments have been divinely appointed to contribute from different angles towards our common goal of true freedom /independence /sovereignty. We have a triune governing system on the ground divinely created to procure true freedom, peace and tranquillity for our nation.

Whilst the ABG was concentrating on providing basic governmental services such as health, education and infrastructural developments the Twin Kingdoms of Papaala and Meekamui were focussed on setting up Bougainville’s own independent /sovereign international financial/ banking system. Whilst the ABG was incurring huge foreign debts/dinau the Twin Kingdom was concentrating on how those debts can be repaid. Whilst the ABG was subjecting our grand children to foreign debts /dinau the Twin Kingdom was creating a way for freeing our grand children from all foreign debts/dinau.

The Twin Kingdom will soon be contributing massively and tangibly to the Bougainville Peace Process. We have been working hard on the international side of things since 1998 without your knowledge /awareness. Whilst ABG was providing basic services to our people the Twin Kingdom was busy setting up an alternative international monetary and banking system that would repay any debts incurred by ABG in her peace making process. In this way Bougainville will not have to bow down to another foreign nation like PNG, Australia, NZ, Japan, China, or whoever.

I am glad to announce here that the Meekamui government and her international financial and banking system is now officially recognized by many countries of the world including 27x European nations, the European Central Bank, and European Union Commission, as a distinct sovereign government and nation. Our central bank (central bank of Bougainville) has just received its BIC/SWIFT Code which is CBOBPGPMXXX and ISO 9362. The PNG government and BPNG protested and tried to block it off but official recognition and endorsement by superpower nations in Europe had more weight. This is just one milestone breakthrough for us. We have many other breakthroughs too many to name here.

Recognition and awarding of BIC/SWIFT Code to our central bank of Bougainville means that our banking system is now fully recognized by all other international banks including WB, IMF, BIS, etc. Our banks can now transfer funds directly from Bougainville to any bank in PNG, SI, Fiji, Australia, NZ or wherever we want it to go. This was not possible in the past because PNG had an upper hand over Bougainville. However, sheer persistence and determination to bypass PNG and operate on the international scene as a sovereign nation/system finally broke the record when European Central Bank and European Union Commission came to our rescue recently.

Our central bank of Bougainville is now in the process of issuing /circulating our sovereign gold-based currency – Bougainville Kina (BVK) – electronically at the exchange rate of 1:1 against the Euro. Our first project will be to repay Bougainville’s outstanding external debt of PGK 1.00 billion to Australia and NZ. ABG incurred all that money on behalf of all Bougainville; therefore, we feel obliged as a complementary government on the ground to repay all that debt /dinau and start afresh. In this way Bougainville shall be totally free from all foreign control systems and not repeat the same mistakes that PNG went through when she gained her independence from Australia in 1975.

Thus, I feel relieved today when I look around and see that Bougainville will now be the only developing country in the world that is totally free from foreign/external debts. All other developing countries in the world had incurred tremendous amounts of foreign debts in their drive for independence. Thus, they remain indebted to some developed foreign countries. Surely, a new light is shinning in Bougainville for the world to see and follow. Though the ABG incurred PGK 1.00 billion debt, a complementary government has arisen to repay it outright. This is known as UNITY OF GOVERNMENTS which is the only way all Bougainville people can work together in total peace and unity. When the governments are united all people on the ground will likewise be united.

Therefore, despite lack of cooperation from ABG, the Meekamui /U-Vistract Government went ahead and completed its international financial/banking system. It is now our honour and privilege to repay all that K1.00 billion debt that ABG incurred in her Peace Process to date.

With such freedom on the international front the Twin Kingdom will now concentrate on more peace and freedom on the domestic scene. The next phase of Bougainville Peace Process is going to be much more exciting as it’s going to be financed by our own money. Foreigners will no longer be financing our Peace Process as before and enslaving our children for eternity. Rather we will be financing it ourselves. And rather than waiting for budgetary funds from PNG we will now be funding the ABG and Meekamui governments to bring full restoration, development and reconstruction to our nation and people.

Thank you once again for inviting me to your conference.
HM

NOTE: This speech is said to have being given at a Siwai District Peace & Security Forum on 24 MAY 2012. In my two articles, A Letter to Noah Musingku & UV-Stract, I commented on this essay.

2 comments:

  1. After a successful revolution, after the sacrifice of many in this revolution, after gaining autonomy....the next step is not to slow down and disarm and act like independence will come easily..the next step is to put a policy in place to educate the new generation about the past as well as to start an independent arms manufacturing company that serves bougainvillians, make it compulsory for each family to be armed and skilled in basics of defending their country. By arming each bougainvillian as opposed to the bullshit scheme of disarming..an armed bougainville civilian population will see crime rates drop, will see mutual respect for each other, will see that politicians scared to become corrupt as they can be removed easily by the people. A population with only a few individuals armed is where gun crimes rise, when there is an inequality between armed and unarmed people then criminals take advantage.An armed bougainvillian population is a massive army itself in reserve, this means its calls for independence will not be taken lightly!....

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  2. Although this was written in 2012, it is still relevant today.
    Regarding Cruise comment. Switzerland is an armed country with compulsory survival training. Weapons are available to all incase of a crisis situation. The biggest danger in crime is a normal mind degregated with Alcohol and Drugs. Solve this problem and there is no need for even police.

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