Peter O’Neill and its trail in Panguna

Leonard Fong Roka

In 2012, Central Bougainville MP Jimmy Miringtoro and Prime Minister Peter O’Neill were chatting in the prime minister’s office in parliament when the PM suddenly suggested to Jimmy Miringtoro that he was interested in visiting Bougainville.

And in 2014 the pair had landed and toured Bougainville with a convoy of cars for the highway; three helicopters in the skies and the government charted jet at the Buka airport that shook the people of Bougainville in three days, 27 to 29 January 2014.

In preparing the way for the PM’s visit in November 2013 in a Panguna meet with the Meekamui leaders, Hon. Jimmy Miringtoro claimed the visit was a ‘family visit’ but it was the Bougainville administration that came up by claiming the tour was a ‘good will visit’ getting a chain of thoughts across the psyche of Bougainville’s ordinary people especially in central Bougainville.

Across central Bougainville many know that Hon. Jimmy Miringtoro few actions in recent times had being outside the influence of the authority on the ground, the ABG. A light is shed from the Panguna Landowners deal with the Chinese firm Beijing Aerospace Great Wall for an agricultural investment signed in the Lynchar Hotel in Buka town in late 2013.

ABG was surprised by the deal.

But Waigani’s respect of the authority on the ground, the Dr. John Momis led ABG, sucked Miringtoro to light living the ABG playing the protocol leadership in paving the way for the PM.

Yet though Miringtoro’s deals with the divided Meekamui factions before the ABG took over the planned tour of the PM created a tussle in Panguna and money and recognition was the catalyst deep inside.

The self-style Meekamui group in central Bougainville today is a divided band of individuals striving for status in the midst of the community. In Panguna there is a Meekamui group led by Philip Miriori from Guava and Moses Pipiro from Pangka village that claims their leadership was from the late Francis Ona.

But the Guava villagers today condemn them and say that Francis Ona died without any official announcement that Philip Miriori or Moses Pipiro is now the leader.

Down in the east coast, again is Chris Uma from Kerei outside Arawa, the man running the Morgan Junction checkpoint on the port-mine-access road. His right to rule was again, as he claims, bestowed upon him by the late Francis Ona.

Chris Uma is not a Panguna man but has followers from Panguna mine affected areas and on the other end, Philip Miriori is a landowner but his followers are not landowners thus Chris Uma, who is armed well then Miriori and Pipiro, is a power around the area.

With the PNG’s leader’s visit Philip Miriori and Moses Pipiro stole the show with their hatred of the ABG that backs the Panguna Peace Building Stratey (PPBS), a body that attempts to strengthen peace in and around central Bougainville, that also is followed and respected by Chris Uma who says that PPBS is upholding the principles Bougainville went to war for.

Chris Uma’s growing harmony with the ABG through the PPBS means Philip Miriori and his reckless strongman Moses Pipiro had seen themselves has being sidelined by the people of Panguna. So Hon. Peter O’Neill’s visit of Bougainville was an event that somehow must restore power upon their band to the eyes of the people.

So they acted without public consultation and knowledge within the general Meekamui group.

In a series of meetings in Panguna, the Miriori-Pipiro Meekamui supported the ABG’s Panguna District Administration to invite Peter O’Neill into Panguna with the financial support of Hon. Jimmy Miringtoro and the ABG.

Panguna was prepared for the PM’s visit by a few people without the rest knowing. This shocked Chris Uma and the rest of the population in Panguna that Bougainville’s people that died during the conflict have not being respected by the crooks and opportunists in Panguna.

Thus over the fortnight leading to the 27 January, Chris Uma, was on the road seeking support from other men to stop the PM visit into Panguna by words or the gun which ever they chose.

Seeing the threat, Moses Pipiro and Philip Miriori, also began their media campaign that PM was welcomed at Panguna but were shamed in Panguna as a gang of warlords holding the Panguna people at ransom for their personal gain. Chris Uma and his followers were seen as standing on the principles Bougainville had fought for.

People were divided. So the organizing committee in Panguna came over to Chris Uma’s followers with a K15 000 for him and the anti-Panguna O’Neill visit to allow the visit since money and resources had being used already.

But Chris Uma refused the cash and more ABG ministers also joined the behind the scene negotiation to sort the issue and nearly K40 000 was spent on negotiations to allow the PM to visit Panguna.

The last meeting over the problem ended in 3AM on the 29 January when the PM, Hon. Peter O’Neill’s team personally got involved and promised to uphold the known Bel Kol or domangtamiri in Nasioi language (domangtamiri is a promise that initiates a process towards peace and compensation after some conflict that results in destruction and death).

And the PM visited Panguna and met with Chris Uma as he drove from Panguna to Arawa by a vehicle.

So the show was not with Philip Miriori and Moses Pipiro in Panguna.

Earlier the Panguna people had heard from the Meekamui followers that the PNG prime minister was visiting Panguna to see Meekamui and recognized it has a legitimate tribal government. On the programme they had also that after all activities was done with, Peter O’Neill should have a private moment with the Meekamui.

But for Philip Miriori and Moses Pipiro, Peter O’Neill had given them a nightmare by turning them into laughing stocks in the midst of the Panguna people and Bougainville.

On his speech in Panguna, PM Peter O’Neill, announced as Philip Miriori looked on so shocked with guilt: ‘The ABG is the only legitimate government on Bougainville…Meekamui you have come under ABG and work as one Bougainville people to bring about development and progress in Bougainville.’

After program halted Philip Miriori approached Peter O’Neill on the arena that his team that included two Australians and other Bougainvilleans, especially South Bougainvilleans, but the PM told him he had no time for that since he was travelling down to Arawa.

PM Peter O’Neill’s tour had empowered ABG has the government standing for the rights of the people of Bougainville and further exposed people like the little warlords in central Bougainville as the liars holding the Bougainville people at ransom.