Leonard Fong Roka
Nearly all primary schools’ end of 2012 academic year
ceremonies I attended, had the voice of the same issue; we want a Bougainville
that is prosperous and independent. That is, a Bougainville that is free from
the grip of the Papua New Guineans.
Mr. Leonard Fong Roka
On the 13 of December 2012, I was invited as a guest speaker
by two primary schools, Darenai and Oune, here in the Panguna District. I
choose Oune because it is here that the Bougainville struggle for independence
in the 1960s began; the precedence was set here.
People across Bougainville can claim that the Panguna people
are responsible for the conflict on Bougainville. Then the Panguna man will not
hesitate to state that it is the Oune people to the west of the Panguna
District that started the conflict long time ago. They started it through the
little organization they called, the Oune Mumungsina that later had the
Napidakoe Navitu as its umbrella body.
The moment I was called to talk, I ran down this history of
Oune. The crowd was silent because, despite the fact that in history, they were
responsible to lead people to go into anti-CRA and later anti-PNG
demonstrations in Panguna and Arawa, they—the current generation—had no idea
what their elders had done and gone into their graves.
For the day, I gave the longest speech, with the people so
captivated and a few in tears.
And this is one general characteristic of people in my Kieta
Society; we had run our politics with our mind and, not with our hearts! We
start up a thing, and then let it fade without investing more into it. This can
be seen in the many confrontations with the CRA and BCL where bribe money from
a BCL official had for long easily coerce the protestors into accepting an
unfair decision despite the fact that one in the midst of the group is still
not satisfied. Then, once the bribe money is gone, we look for another trouble
and the cycle goes on. Then along the way, once a new problem confronts us, we
instigate a new counter measure that shakes the whole of Bougainville.
Such is well evidenced in Bougainville history of political struggles.
I ran a short discourse with emphasis on my Kieta peoples’ responsibility in
diverting our island into chaos of blood and tears that is still quaking
beneath our soles.
As Kieta people we are responsible for the 15 000-plus people
by the simple fact that in 1990, with the first cease fire and the withdrawal
of the PNG government, we as Bougainvilleans had the greatest opportunity to
built a political administration that should have had paved the road to
independence swiftly without pain, but instead with our irresponsibility, pride
and lack of vision and planning, we dumped Bougainville into a civil war and
immeasurable suffering on our innocent people.
This mistake must not be repeated by the Oune people as it
is now practiced by two of our former BRA men in Kieta. These two figures today
have gone astray from their old fight for the good of Bougainville and now
competing against each other to be at the top with money.
But our people are keeping their eyes on them. Our
responsible former combatants in August 2012 warn Ishmael Toroama for his
octopus culture by torching dozens of the scrap metal collector, Panguna
Metal’s plants and equipment in Panguna, Pakia and Loloho that Ishmael
Toroama’s men provide security to. If Ishmael Toroama did react, hopefully that
was his death as I am gleaning.
His rival, Chris Uma also kept silent at his side, for he
too, is a problem in Kieta by contradicting the positive things he suggests to
most media and public and yet, under cover, people see him running after public
money, bribes and other illicit practices that our people are now fed up with.
If people are slowly turning against these two developing
warlords, then what people of Oune should look towards is commitment of
investing into education. Children should all be in the classrooms for this
century is the century of the educated brains to play politics. The era, where
our people came out of the caves of Oune to play politics in the international
stage is over with the reign of globalization.
If our ancestors were crying to see Bougainville free in the
1960s through their organization Oune Mumungsina, then we have to follow their
footsteps by correcting areas where they did failed if we want our children to
enjoy their land and resources as the Solomon island people of Bougainville.
As Oune people, this is the moment to turn away from the
negativity we are investing into our children with the gold generated money we
get daily. In Oune, every child has access to cash, and to me that is not a positive
step to building a good Bougainville. Every afternoon, our kids walk home from
school and end up down at the Kavarong panning for gold instead of studying. That
must end if we are responsible parents of Oune and Bougainville.
I did recognize the fact that many speech makers fear
exposing the reality to the people. The people know what development that
happens around them inside-out but as leaders, people turn to suppress the
truth despite the fact that as Christians we roam around Bougainville preaching,
‘The truth will set you free’.
‘Be responsible parents today if we want to save
Bougainville and the sacrifice that our 15 000-plus brothers and sisters paid
for with their lives under the Australia-backed PNG blockade of our Solomon
Island of Bougainville will be a reality. Know that students we are sending
outside Bougainville to be educated, are there running around the place wearing
PNG shoes! Educating Oune the Bougainville way is Educating Bougainville the
right way!’ I closed my speech with this and walked through dozens of
handshakes all day.
My speech, though not fully captured here, is still in the
mouths of my people as I write.
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