PPBS, a Positive Road for Bougainville

Leonard Fong Roka

Where all leadership fear thinking outside the box or being energetic to influence all Bougainville into action for a nationalistic unity and action for betterment, the political authorities  and leaders on Bougainville look at the Panguna District as the catalyst for economic leap for the break-away region of Papua New Guinea (PNG)  in the Solomon Islands archipelago.

Panguna Mine

Bougainville is the largest and the richest in terms of natural resources island of the Solomon archipelago. In 1899 it become part of the German New Guinea colonial administration that used it once as the launching path for its New Guinea civilizing effort that was later taken over by the Australians since First World War.

In the 1960s, as the colonial ruler, Australia, began preparing its New Guinea territory for nationhood, it developed the Panguna mine on Bougainville that resulted also, in the Bougainvillean struggle for self determination since then.  But, with clever plots of luring and indoctrination Bougainville ended up part of independent PNG state in 1975; but it was an accommodation of protest culture that kept PNG quaking.

In 1988 after all the years of dissatisfaction and peaceful protests by Bougainvilleans, the Panguna mine began the catalyst to tear down PNG’s exploitative pride of rule of the Solomon Island people of Bougainville.

With the dawn of the Bougainville Peace Process, in terms of leadership, the Panguna District did play again significant roles in finding a peaceful solution to the conflict that had sacrificed the lives of some 15 thousand Bougainvilleans in war and also property destruction. Panguna District could accept a myopic accusation that it is responsible for the crisis death on Bougainville.

But for so long, internal politics within the Kieta area had affected progress in development and peace-building for the Central Bougainville region.

Conflict had being complicated and without much room for understanding and negotiation thus it had divided the people. Kieta had seen factions led by men like Chris Uma, Moses Pipiro and Ishmael Toroama.

With Bougainvillean leaders looking at the Panguna mine as the economic source for the future development of Bougainville after the referendum said to be planned for 2016, the move by the people across Bougainville calling for the re-opening of the Panguna mine it is evidenced as creating change in the hearts and minds of the Panguna people.

Few months ago, leaders in Panguna created Panguna Peace Building Strategy (PPBS) that is now playing significant roles in uniting the people of the District.

Operating under the Panguna District Administration, PPBS, now oversees the peoples’ views on mining in the villages not only in Panguna but across many areas of Central Bougainville and South Bougainville’s Bana District.

Through awareness landowners also turn to understand what the leaders in the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) want and are up to. As indicated last week, an all Panguna mine site landowners from Pirurari, Dapera, Moroni and Guava met in Panguna with PPBS to voice their concerns over the re-opening issue.

The landowners claimed they are willing to welcome mining for the very reasons to help finance the compensation for property loss and lives loss on Bougainville; and furthermore, they were willing to allow mining for the economic recovery and strengthening of the Bougainville independence. To them innocent Bougainvilleans had died for independence and this must be met.

Also, the gathering heard that before mining resumes, the ABG and whoever mining company should let them know about their future life regard to the mining operations. This is to do with things automatic employment, good compensation or royalty and their most pressing demand was to close the door to all non-Bougainvilleans.

Landowners also wanted a new waste disposal system. They don’t want gravel being stockpiled on what is already in existence (this refers to the stockpiled waste gravel on the dumps) and also they want an environment-friendly waste management of waste from the concentrator mills down the Tumpusiong Valley and the sea in South Bougainville.

The meeting also heard that the new mining venture must now grant all sub-contractors, for example, food catering and tyre services for mine plants to Bougainvilleans and allow no firm outside Bougainville. They said Bougainvilleans are innovated people so the miner should come first with education for Bougainvilleans.

The landowners want to see every village across Bougainville should be connected by sealed roads; every river to have permanent bridges; every island community to have jetty. These are what the mining company should think about before talking about re-opening.

Towards all these exercises, one great break-through for the Panguna people is the land conflicting Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) leaders, Ishmael Toroama, Chris Uma and Moses Pipiro, who are scheduled for reconciliation late this month.

This trio with their followers had long kept the people divided politically and they have also regularly fought each other over their own personal interests, mostly over power over the Panguna mine site and money from scrap metal and government projects.

In line with this, ABG President Dr. John Momis will also be visiting Guava Village for the first time as Bougainville president.

These are a few indicating events that Bougainville is moving and not that stagnant.