Leonard Fong Roka
In a participatory issue presentation for possible agendas
for a landowners-Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG)-Bougainville Copper Limited
(BCL) meet and forum held for the 4th and 5th December
2013 in Buka’s Kuri Village Resort, it turn clear that the resource owners of
Panguna mine related landowner groups had being weaken by the dissolving of
their umbrella body the Panguna Mine Affected Landowner Associations (PMALA).
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| Panguna LOs in Buka |
In a preliminary meeting on the 3rd December 2013
co-chaired by Dr. O’Fallie Cieran, one the two ABG AusAID funded consultants
for the Department of Mining towards the re-opening effort and Raymond Masono,
the coordinator of the Panguna Mine Negotiation Committee of the ABG and the Bougainville
administration whilst Anthony Reagan kept silent through the opening hours with
his personal body hovering about, it was obvious the landowners were
disorganized and often contesting for a prevailing outcome and the
demoralization of the other.
Before November 2013 there nine landowners groups, Siokate,
Uruava, Port-mine-access road, SML, Upper Tailings, Lower Tailings, Bolabe and
Bolabe and other Fish Owners, and the coastal Sea Corridor areas stretching
from Torokina to Siwai. All were covered under the PMALA that had Lawrence
Daveona as the chairman. However, over internal politicking members of the
Siokate group that represents mostly the Arawa village people stood against it.
Thus it was dissolved and now the landowner groups are
independent. This is leading to snail pace of decision making as the groups
turn to bark at each other. This independence means that when it comes to
consultations or meetings with BCL, each group ought to be given a time which
means time will be a factor to constrain progress for tangible outcomes for
Bougainville.
This means more funding will be squandered in a body that
does so often repel each other and more time will be wasted. So it will be a
long road to bring progress on Bougainville regarding the Panguna re-opening
issues, compensation and development.
This also will lead to the domination of landowners by
external forces like ex-combatants, ABG and BCL as it was evident in this
meeting.
Over the session former leader of the dissolved PMALA seem
to raise critical issues towards the progress of the Panguna mine talks but the
leadership of the Siokate, Therese Jaintong seem to oppose all his propositions
to the ABG.
The main issue behind the dissolving of PMALA was the PMALA
was or will belittle the respective nine landowner groups and also, that most
groups despite having few common problems all did not share most of the
problems.
So showing that the few leaders are not sure that their irresponsibility
holds the Bougainville people at ransom and also leading the Bougainville
people to further suspicions of all these actions as corruption oriented.
Thus there is high probability that landowner groups and
their own people at home have a gap of communication in between that a change
of attitude and character needs to sort out as Bougainville needs are well
connected subject-authority relationship.
Generally Panguna mine landowner groups are running their
own respective games in the face of the organized and focused BCL and ABG
mining interests. To gain maximum benefit all have to be a united force against
BCL and other interest groups.
And they, the landowner groups with ABG are now working
towards sorting out all these issues.
