Questions on the Bougainville Weapons Disposal Program

Leonard Fong Roka

One of the three major pillars to determine the execution of the Bougainville referendum between 2015 and 2020 is the disposal of our weapons. In the many negotiations held overseas as well as within PNG and Bougainville, PNG leaders were always screaming for a gun-free Bougainville. But what is the logic behind the demand for this pillar? Does it fall well to the expectations of all Bougainvilleans?

As Bougainvilleans, we have to remember that we were treated as cheap prostitutes by colonialism. Our island was force annexed (without our consent) by German in a self-glorification chat with Britain. Since then, we had struggled against the two axis of evil that are, Australia and Papua New Guinea but, with hunger for exploitation of our resource reach island, they laughed as our old people wept under the sun demonstrating against PNG, Australia and BCL ruthlessness.

So from 1988 on, guns were our means of change.

Guns chase away the Papua New Guinean squatter settlers, thieves, rapists, murderers, and so on that every day insanely flooded our Solomon island;  guns again, shut down the Bougainville Copper Limited that brought them in, by providing them employment and other money making avenues in order to redskinize our divine heritage or ethnicity.

But as Bougainvilleans, we have to note by heart, that our guns reached our hands not from a donor as PNG did enjoyed eradicating us by receiving free guns and ammunition from Australia, but all guns came in by personal sacrifices. That is, one as to kill your enemy, the Papua New Guinean, to own a gun as he shamelessly, pursues to kill and rob you in your own land.

Politicians came short of acknowledging this fact about Bougainville as they signed the Terms of Referendum in 2001.

Bougainvilleans know the long struggles for self-determination before 1988 that were ignored by the Papua New Guineans for nothing but the wealth of Bougainville that was building their country. Yet our leaders gave in to sell us off once again to the old dogs!

And here is where now Bougainville as being divided into factions as most people are seeing it. There was this faction who wanted to end the war with the gun seeing the many success the BRA were having against the Papua New Guinean infiltrators and there was this other bunch that wanted a solution by peace.

The conflict was here, but all sides were working through different means to achieve that nationhood for Bougainville.

But to many of us, the weapons disposal pillar is a problematic issue because it does not respect the Bougainville concern and the people. The question is: If guns made PNG to change its dirty attitude for Bougainville, why did it push for the eradication of guns without firstly seeing Bougainvilleans from the Melanesian perspective rather than continuing a psychological war from an international legal stage?

It is so silly, to come into Bougainville calling, ‘Throw away your guns and I will give you freedom!’ Bougainville will never be fooled this time by all these empty promises. A wise man gives and takes what he wants but here PNG ordered Bougainville leaders to push for the weapons disposal without giving them something.

What most of us benefited from is peace-making or weapon-containment money handout. And when all these ebbed, since it was created by bias PNG pricks, there we still holding onto guns.

Nobody will throw away the gun, thus sections of the Bougainville Peace Agreement must be re-negotiated to suit the Bougainvillean reasons to go into war.