An Interesting President Dr. John Momis

By Leonard Fong Roka

I sometimes wonder, if I am a president of Bougainville, what sort of a person I could be; what amount of condemnation could I be subjected to from the Bougainville people; how could I cope with the kind of unpredictable political climate I am at least familiar with in Bougainville. Real shudder there!

Dr. John Momis

Anywhere, people so often turn to jump at conclusions to a leader’s political behavior too prematurely without thorough analysis. But, I as a Panguna man should not deny that I am playing pranks with Bougainville politics in the social media; worst child, I am. But, that is Panguna culture. We are good at it; whether our politicking is profitable or not, we play it out for the whole of Bougainville to dance to it.

But as a Panguna student with a burning desire to enter Bougainville political games sooner or later as a commentator, I hate one general criticism decanted on my Bougainville government, the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG). And that is, I hate to read or hear critics saying ‘ABG is weak’.

Let me tell you why. Since 1988 I grew alongside the Bougainville crisis but knew nothing much. But when the conflict prolonged, I realize much the deeper problem embedded in the hearts and minds of Bougainvilleans so our ABG was the product of the long suffering we, the lost people of the Solomon archipelago had gained as a launching pad for our irredentism drive.

Thus, as Bougainvilleans with our cultural views should know now is that, ABG is a government we have built upon the blood of our 10-20 000 innocent brothers and sisters from our atolls; Buka right down to Buin in South Bougainville.

       Many non-Bougainvilleans in PNG that comment on Bougainville should remember that your      provincial government cannot function overnight in the political climate of Bougainville. Despite the ups and downs, it is still a government with far greater responsibilities for the betterment of Bougainvilleans who had being denied their rights as a unique peoples of the Solomon archipelago since the colonial days. And it is the Bougainville armed conflict fueled by the subjugated hearts and minds of our people that finally made us to be seen as a people that need to be respected.

But it is now upon us Bougainvilleans to carry that struggle on a positive note. Our freedom from all forms of genocide, relegation and exploitation is yet to be reached; the fight is still on. If PNG can easily set a total blockade on our island in 1990 which can be seen as an act of genocide under the auspices of international law and yet now play pranks with us with a baseless claim of maintaining its state sovereignty, who will be our redeemer? The answer is you and I!

With that said, I like to point out some interesting points worth nibbling about the Post Courier in the month of March of 2013 had highlighted about Bougainville and our President Dr. John Momis.

I had never chatted with President Dr. John Momis as I did with the late President Joseph Kabui all my life. Thus with my ever burning political mind’s will for an independent Bougainville, I had continuously had doubts on Dr. John Momis till recently when looking at a series of newspaper articles that captured my attention.

The 01 March 2013 Post Courier page 5 article, Momis: referendum to be held, by Winterford Toreas read: ‘If we do not remove the weapons, we are not self reliant and if we do not achieve good governance…referendum will happen’ was a morale booster for me in Dr. John Momis. This is a challenge all Bougainvilleans should note; are we really committed to the liberation of our island as our leader is showing us?

I remember in 1998, the BRA/BIG team from Kieta leaving for the pan-Bougainville meeting in Buin were in doubt whether they would get the support of the resistance fighters and the care center population for their independence talk. And as the talks began, a mother from Bana District who had lived in the care center stood and shouted with tears, ‘Our brothers and sisters from the bush (BRA/BIG) and our brothers and sisters from the care centers, as we meet and talk, remember that we died for our island to be independent’. Applause of support went across the crowds and the BRA/BIG felt relieved.

And here, our leader is telling us to relieve each other from the political and economic stagnation we are creating upon ourselves.

And as a student and observer of my island’s path, I believe our leaders are creating a better foundation for us to move on. I feel that, if I could muster the spirit of the laws that they are creating now, I could play better politics in the future for my nation of Bougainville.

I am referring here on what most of us are calling the ‘Momis-Reagan Mining Law’. To me it is the best Bougainville has created for its future. And here is why I am saying this based on the Post Courier feature story, Mining Law not complete (Post Courier, 8 March 2013 page 11):

‘Since mid-2012 ABG was at work creating a new mining law. Reasons were (1). Complete the transfer of mining powers that began in 2006 and (2). Was to make a law to meet Bougainvillean needs, including:

·         Recognizing customary rights, required by Section 23 of Bougainville Constitution;

·         Responding to foreign companies illegally seeking control of our mineral resources;

·         Introducing ABG control of mining and contributing to re-establishing the rule of law

Customary landowners will be recognized as owners of minerals, with ABG sharing in order to:

·         Act on behalf of all Bougainvilleans, because of the blood spilled during the conflict;

·         Ensure equitable development for all parts of Bougainville; and

·         Preserves resources for future generations

As owners of minerals, landowners will have important new rights, including to:

·         Veto exploration licenses;

·         Be deeply involved in decision making on all projects, and

·         Receives shares of revenues and opportunities from mining

Only ABG will grant mining exploration and development licenses, and determine distribution of mining revenues and benefits’.

With this law, Bougainvilleans are blessed because they have more powers over their land and resources unlike the past where the government of Papua New Guinea and Rio Tinto kept us relegated and robbed our land and resources to built Papua New Guinea and not Bougainville. As Bougainvilleans, we should know that our island was the money that built Papua New Guinea. Our mineral resource and the profits it made went 100% to Port Moresby.

Having in my heart that this was the best for us, I was shocked when former BRA general Sam Kauona attacked President Dr. John Momis. And this I believe was over the wordings in Section 23 of our Constitution where, our ABG is a part owner of mineral wealth with the Landowners. This is justifiable because if we talk about my home, Panguna and the mine there, my people on Buka are not landowners. But they would ask me, ‘Was it only the Panguna people that suffered and lost loved ones during the Bougainville crisis?’

So, with me an automatic landowner in Panguna there is my government that stands for the people of Bougainville who have had suffered with me.

The 4 March, 2013 Post Courier story, Bougainville to strike it rich, Dr. John Momis said it all: ‘Mr. Kauona should not think that an ABG led by me could ever ignore Bougainvillean concerns about mining. We will never be told what to do by an outsider. Equitable distribution of revenue from mineral resources was at the core of his government’s policies. As part owner, the ABG will act on behalf of all Bougainvilleans because of the bloodshed by all Bougainville groups during the conflict’.

What I saw good for Sam Kauona was to admit and sort out the unimaginable problem of the sale of Bougainville wealth and people under his Invincible Resources deal now taking on a new face as Morumbi Inc that is trying to fool Bougainvilleans but happily Bougainvilleans are not to be fooled by these dogs that fooled Sam Kauona and late Joseph Kabui.

But I have seen some good collective decision making as Bougainvilleans come together to decide their future. I believe in them and the future of my island and people.

The arguments made by the Meekamui group are what I really have in my heart having studying the long Bougainville struggle. These are to be honored by the people and the government because if we look into the Bougainville conflict, the factors that sparked the crisis are in there.

The 4, March 2013 Post Courier page 27 story, Meekamui: Bougainville not ready to re-open Panguna mine, they said: ‘Their standing to reopen the mine after Bougainville gains independence is because there are still are still a lot of outstanding issues that needs to be addressed. One of this is the K10 billion compensation claim for environmental damages done during the mine’s operational days

These issues include the establishment of squatter settlements and law and order problems.

On positive note, Meekamui said they want the ‘bel kol’ money to be paid not only to the LOs but to all Bougainvilleans because they all suffered during the crisis.

Meekamui also calls on ABG to support the court case against mining giant Rio Tinto for compensation payments to be made for environmental damages’.

The Meekamui talks are a reality. It is a fact that the value of the Panguna mine is below the K10 billion mark but the suffering of Bougainvilleans since the colonial era to the Rio Tinto landing on Bougainville including the environmental destruction of Bougainville is more than the K10 billion. We have to support that.

This will be a long term process and PNG will not escape from paying us for all the shit they did to us and our island.

And when they talk about squatter settlements and law and order, we the people and our ABG need now to create a vagrancy act to keep out wanderers from flooding into our island and I talk because I have seen the bad treatments PNG squatter settlers did to us as student kids coming into Arawa every morning to school.

I agree to the ‘bel kol’ money they are calling for. But, I see fit, a ‘bel kol’ money paid as a infrastructure development in the form of roads connecting the unconnected areas. Furthermore, this ‘bel kol’ money should be in educational infrastructure.

We need to think Bougainville rather than thinking along personal interest that shall not help our island’s future.