DOCSLIB.ORG

Centre for Democratic Institutions the Role of Parliamentary Committees: Workshop for Members of the Autonomous Bougainville Go

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Centre for Democratic Institutions the Role of Parliamentary Committees: Workshop for Members of the Autonomous Bougainville Go centre for democratic institutions The Role of Parliamentary Committees: Workshop for Members of the Autonomous Bougainville Government House of Representatives Thursday 28 June – Friday 29 June 2007 Buka, Autonomous Region of Bougainville The Centre for Democratic Institutions (CDI) conducted a workshop for Members and staff of the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) House of Representatives in Buka on 28th and 29th June 2007. The workshop was held at the request of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Nicholas Peniai. The aim of the workshop was to assist the House of Representatives (HoR) with ensuring that its parliamentary committees can perform their proper roles. Members gained a greater appreciation of the value of parliamentary committees: as a means of ‘taking Parliament to the people’, thus enabling them to be better informed about community views; of providing a bridge between their constituents’ concerns and the broader community interest; of promoting public debate; and of scrutinising the Executive and contributing towards better government through a more informed administration and policy making process. Workshop Participants Mr Peter Loney, former Chairman, Public Accounts Committee, Legislative Assembly of Victoria, was the convenor for the workshop. The other facilitators and presenters were: • Mr Tim Barnett - MP for Christchurch Central and Chief Government Whip, Parliament of New Zealand; • Mrs Taeasi Sanga - Clerk of the National Parliament of Solomon Islands; • Mr Warren Cahill - Project Manager, Parliamentary Strengthening Project, National Parliament of Solomon Islands; • Mr Quinton Clements – Deputy Director, CDI; • Mr Luke Hambly - Executive Officer, CDI Mr Lawrence Daveona, Director of the Committees Secretariat of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea also attended and greatly assisted in the facilitation of the workshop. 38 participants were present for the first day of the workshop including 28 members of the House of Representatives, the President of the Autonomous Bougainville Region, 1 Hon. Joseph Kabui, the Speaker, the Clerk Mr Robert Tapi, House of Representatives staff and several ABG agency heads. There were 37 participants on the second day including 27 Members plus the Speaker, the Clerk and staff. Radio Bougainville were also present to record proceedings and report on the workshop content and outcomes. Background Following eight years of armed conflict (from 1989 to 1997) and a lengthy negotiation process, a peace agreement was signed between the National Government of Papua New Guinea and the combined Bougainvillean factions on 30 August 2001. This enabled the creation of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, the adoption of a constitution for Bougainville and the establishment of the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG). The Bougainville Constitution provides for a directly elected President who is head of the Bougainville Executive Council and for a legislature known as the House of Representatives in which the legislative power of the ABG is vested. The first presidential and parliamentary elections were held from May to June 2005 The House of Representatives has 33 directly elected Members each representing a single member constituency, three reserved seats for women and three for former combatants each representing a constituency in a separate region. The House therefore is comprised of 39 elected members, the Speaker and the President with a total membership of 41. The four Autonomous Region of Bougainville MPs from the National Parliament are allowed to participate in debate but not vote. The Speaker is appointed by the House from outside its membership and the President is a full member of the House – the Vice-President is appointed from amongst the elected MPs. CDI’s engagement with the ABG House of Representatives began in 2006 when two Members of the House, Hon. Robert Sawa and Hon. Laura Ampa, participated in the 8th Pacific Parliamentary Dialogue in Samoa.1 Both parliamentarians gave presentations on the Bougainvillean experience of building a new parliament. Hon. Robert Sawa gave an overview of the modern history of Bougainville, the creation of the Autonomous Bougainville Government and the first election for the House of Representatives in June 2005. Hon. Laura Ampa explained how the three allocated seats in the House for women worked and the positive reaction among voters to this innovative arrangement2 – the first of its kind in the Pacific Islands region. The workshop follows on from discussions between CDI Deputy Director, Mr Quinton Clements, and the Speaker, Hon. Nicholas Peniai, on areas for cooperation between CDI and the ABG House of Representatives held in March 2007 in Buka. At the request 1 See separate report at http://www.cdi.anu.edu.au/asia_pacific_region/2006- 07/2006_12_AP_PRO_8thPacPD_Samoa.htm 2 Note that the Commonwealth-Pacific Islands Forum Expert Team observing the 2005 election made the following point: ‘… while 25 women contested the three allocated seats, we understood that no women contested constituency seats, for which they were also entitled to stand. Some people we spoke to suggested that allocating three seats specifically for women may have had an unintended effect of marginalising them within the process. We were of the view that women should be encouraged in future to contest general constituency seats. (General Election for the Autonomous Bougainville Government, May-June 2005, Report of the Commonwealth-Pacific Islands Forum Expert Team, p.14)’ 2 of the Speaker, CDI agreed to sponsor two officers of the ABG House of Representatives on attachments to an Australian parliament.3 CDI also agreed to organise and facilitate a training workshop on effective parliamentary committees for Members in Buka in June 2007. At a meeting of all Members of the House of Representatives in March organised and chaired by the Speaker, Mr Clements briefed Members on the role of CDI, its parliamentary strengthening work, and ways in which CDI could assist the ABG House of Representatives. A motion was subsequently passed in the House of Representatives acknowledging the work of CDI and extending the gratitude of the House to CDI for its assistance. The Workshop The workshop commenced on Thursday 28th June with a formal welcome by the traditional Chief of the Buka area, Hon. Hilary Laris, who began by invocating the ancestral spirits. Chief Laris recited the invocation in the Buka language, which he subsequently translated as follows, I called upon the presence and guidance of my ancestral spirits from this land, from up the mountains and from beneath the sea at this workshop. To guide each and every one of us especially our foreign visitors who have come to assist us. That the success of this workshop will depend on their spirits being present in this room and finally thanked them for their being with us all. All present then stood for the singing of the Bougainville Anthem and the reciting of the prayer. The Speaker officially opened the workshop. Mr Clements then spoke about the role of CDI, introduced the members of the team and outlined the program. The Clerk of the House of Representatives, Mr Robert Tapi, then provided an overview of the committees of the House, their structure, functions and resources (see Attachment A). The Clerk pointed out that the Bougainville Constitution provides for the establishment of a Public Accounts Committee, a regional committee for each of the three regions of Bougainville – North, Central and South - and other committees as determined by the House. Of the latter, five sectoral and advisory committees plus a Select Committee on the Standing Orders have been established (see Attachment A). Mr Peter Loney began the workshop proper by providing a presentation on the history and structure of the Westminster parliamentary model. He outlined the key principles underpinning the Westminster model – the separation of powers, ministerial responsibility, scrutiny of the executive and participatory democracy. Mr Loney and Mr Barnett outlined the importance of a good relationship between parliamentarians and their constituencies and how this can be enhanced through effective parliamentary committees. The Members were then asked to discuss their experiences and ideas on how they relate to their constituents, and indeed to think of a broader definition of ‘constituents’ - particularly in relation to their committee work - that 3 See separate report at http://www.cdi.anu.edu.au/asia_pacific_region/2006- 07/2007_05_BGV_PRO_Hansard_Attach_CBR.htm 3 goes beyond electoral and geographic boundaries and concerns, and hence includes groups like ‘women’, ‘men’, ‘youth’, ‘ex-combatants’, ‘disabled’ etc. Mr Tim Barnett then introduced a further presentation with the question ‘how could Bougainville’s Sectoral and Advisory Committees be the best parliamentary committees in the Pacific?’ He began by outlining the things that the ABG House of Representatives needs to deliver and described the role Bougainvillean MPs play in that process and the challenges they will face in trying to do so. He outlined several key points about the parliamentary committee system in New Zealand. Mr Barnett explained how the Bougainville committees can be informed and productive, be heard and seen, give the public the confidence to have their say, debate well and reach consensus and be high- profile and integrated with the House. In the general discussion that followed, participants shared some of the following ideas on the
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Challenges of Autonomy in Papua New Guinea's Autonomous Regioq of Bougainville
    Challenges of autonomy in Papua New Guinea's Autonomous RegioQ of Bougainville Edward P Wo!fers WITH THE ELECTION OF THE PRESIDENT AND LEGISLATURE and the swearing-in of the Ministers of the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) in June 2005, peace-building in Bougainville entered a new phase. Bougainville has been officially renamed the 'Autonomous Region of Bougainville'. The ABG has replaced the ad hoc arrangements through which Bougainville factions whose leaders had signed the Bougainville Peace Agreement in 2001 had previously consulted and cooperated with each other and with the National Government of Papua New Guinea in making and building peace. Together, the ABG and the National Government now face the multiple challenges involved in establishing, operating and developing the agreed arrangements for Bougainville autonomy, and in making a difference to the lives of people in Bougainville through practical peace-building on the ground. However, even now (more than five years after the Bougainville Peace Agreement was signed, and over two years since the ABG took office), the Bougainville peace process is still incomplete. It does not include all of the people and area of Bougainville: the hard-core of the late Francis Ona's closest supporters around Panguna remains outside (with travel and communications made difficult by the road-block at Morgan Junction, outside Arawa); and The Journal of Pacific Studies, Volume 30, 2007, 1- 22 © 2007 by JPacS Editorial board (USP) 2 The Journal ofPadftc Studies, Volume 302007 communities around Tonu in Siwai, South Bougainville, have been cut off since late 2005 as a result of the presence and activities of Noah Musingku and others, including armed men, associated with the illegal U-Vistract pyramid 'fast-money' scheme.
    [Show full text]
  • Reopening and Developing Mines in Post-Conflict Settings: the Challenge of Company-Community Relations Volker Boege and Daniel M
    This chapter first appeared in High-Value Natural Resources and Peacebuilding, edited by P. Lujala and S. A. Rustad. It is one of 6 edited books on Post-Conflict Peacebuilding and Natural Resource Management (for more information, see www.environmentalpeacebuilding.org). The full book can be ordered from Routledge at http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9781849712309/. © 2012. Environmental Law Institute and United Nations Environment Programme. Reopening and developing mines in post-conflict settings: The challenge of company-community relations Volker Boege and Daniel M. Franksa aUniversity of Queensland, Australia Online publication date: June 2012 Suggested citation: V. Boege, D. Franks. 2012. Reopening and developing mines in post-conflict settings: The challenge of company-community relations. In High-Value Natural Resources and Peacebuilding, ed. P. Lujala and S. A. Rustad. London: Earthscan. Terms of use: This chapter may be used free of charge for educational and non-commercial purposes. The views expressed herein are those of the author(s) only, and do not necessarily represent those of the sponsoring organizations. Reopening and developing mines in post-conflict settings 87 Reopening and developing mines in post-conflict settings: The challenge of company-community relations Volker Boege and Daniel M. Franks Every mine that is reopened or developed in a fragile post-conflict setting becomes a part of that setting; as such, it can either intensify that fragility, and perhaps even trigger a recurrence of conflict, or help stabilize the situation and thereby contribute to peacebuilding.1 Drawing from case studies in Papua New Guinea and Guatemala, this chapter explores the conditions that are essential for avoiding renewed conflict and for supporting peacebuilding and development, with particular emphasis on the role of community relations practice.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 4: the Peace Negotiations and the Prospects for a Permanent
    4 7KH3HDFH1HJRWLDWLRQVDQGWKH3URVSHFWV IRUD3HUPDQHQW3HDFH Introduction 4.1 In a statement to Parliament on 9 June 1999, the Minister for Foreign Affairs drew attention to the progress that had been made since the formal Bougainville peace process began in mid 1997: Although there will always be day-to-day problems and crises along the path towards a lasting peace, it is worth reflecting just how far the parties have come in barely two years since the peace process started. There has been no fighting during that time. Bougainvilleans are now going about their daily lives without fear and are travelling more widely on the island. The Bougainville economy is showing the first tentative signs of activity. That such considerable progress has been made is in large part a tribute to the commitment and flexibility personally demonstrated by Papua New Guinea's [then] Prime Minister, Bill Skate, as well as his government, most notably the [then] Minister for State, Sam Akoitai. It is also a tribute to all the leaders of Bougainville and, most particularly, to all Bougainvilleans. It is their peace process.1 4.2 Material in this chapter sets out the landmarks in the peace process since the first Burnham meeting, the successes and setbacks in the peace negotiations, and examines the issues still to be resolved by the parties. 1 Hon Alexander Downer MP, Minister for Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives Hansard, p. 5157. 64 Australia's role as a neutral observer of the process and significant contributor in the form of substantial official aid and facilitator of the dialogue, is also discussed.
    [Show full text]
  • Presidential Candidates (2010 – 2015)
    Bougainville presidential candidates (2010 – 2015) This is a brief commentary on the main candidates vying for President in the second ABG and Bougainville parliamentary elections. The views expressed are opinions based on my own observations as well as views deduced from others from conversations on my recent visits to the Island. These views and comments should not be taken as gospel truth. They may assist voters in making considered choices and preferences. 1. James Tanis, incumbent President: Mr Tanis has served as a transitional President following a bye-election 13 months ago; took over at a difficult time at the height of questions and suspicions about Invincible and BRDC and when reconciliation and issues of unsurrendered arms needed political guidance and dealt with decisively to get leadership back on track and restore confidence and trust in ABG; Tanis chose Ezekiel Massat from Buka Island as his Vice President and this has provided a strong, loyal and highly committed political team in discussions with the National Government and many donor countries and agencies. Tanis won his last election through a very condensed, savvy and tactical campaign in villages and communities. He is all too aware that the race to the end is determined by all votes cast; that is to say the second and third preferences are absolutely significant in determining the final outcome. A summary of President Tanis’ achievements in his short Presidency include: a) Proactive involvement by ABG in enabling Panguna landowners to recommence and complete 90% of their reconciliations. Tunis’s personal involvement at community level was a marked departure from the lip service and empty promises by his predecessor and other provincial and national leaders from the area in responding to requests to get ahead with reconciliations in Panguna.
    [Show full text]
  • Of the LAND … As MOTHERS
    … as MOTHERS of the LAND The birth of the Bougainville Women for Peace and Freedom Editors Josephine Tankunani Sirivi and Marilyn Taleo Havini Pandanus Online Publications, found at the Pandanus Books web site, presents additional material relating to this book. www.pandanusbooks.com.au … as MOTHERS of the LAND … as MOTHERS of the LAND The birth of the Bougainville Women for Peace and Freedom EDITORS Josephine Tankunani Sirivi and Marilyn Taleo Havini PANDANUS BOOKS Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY Cover: Nursing Mother by master carver Joseph Dutaona, Osi Kiang, Central Bougainville. Photos: From the historical collection of Moses and Marilyn Havini, Josephine and Samuel Sirivi and Scholastica Raren Miriori. © Josephine Tankunani Sirivi and Marilyn Taleo Havini 2004 www.pandanusbooks.com.au This book is copyright in all countries subscribing to the Berne convention. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. Inquiries should be addressed to the publishers or to The Editors, c/- Overseas Coordinator BWPF, Marilyn Taleo Havini, 34 Darvall Road Eastwood NSW 2122 Australia E-mail: [email protected] Typeset in Goudy 11pt on 13.5pt and printed by Pirion, Canberra National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry As mothers of the land. ISBN 1 74076 043 3 1. Women and peace — Papua New Guinea — Bougainville Island. 2. Bougainville
    [Show full text]
  • Papua New Guinea
    Country Report Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea at a glance: 2005-06 OVERVIEW The prime minister, Sir Michael Somare, is likely to see out his full term in office, defeating any no-confidence vote. The political scene nevertheless remains unsettled, with a number of parties suffering internal splits. By contrast, the economic outlook is fairly good. The government has maintained control of its fiscal position, inflation has eased sharply, and improvements in agricultural and mining output should contribute to steady real GDP growth in 2005-06. However, the current-account balance will deteriorate steadily in 2005-06, in line with rising imports related to mining activity and infrastructure projects. Key changes from last month Political outlook • A new autonomous government on the island of Bougainville has been established, marking a milestone in the development of Papua New Guinea (PNG). The newly elected government was inaugurated in mid-June, with Joseph Kabui, the leader of the Bougainville People’s Congress securing the presidency. Economic policy outlook • Although the government has succeeded in maintaining a tight grip on expenditure, leading to an improvement in the budget balance, it has failed to utilise its development expenditure budget to support sustainable economic growth. In the first quarter of 2005 the government spent only around 3% of its full-year development budget. Economic forecast • The Economic Intelligence Unit has revised upwards its forecast for global crude oil prices, one of PNG’s leading export commodities. Oil prices will increase by 31% year on year in 2005 to an average of US50.5/barrel (dated Brent Blend), before dipping to US$46.5/b in 2006.
    [Show full text]
  • A Stitch in Time: Preserving Peace on Bougainville 3
    SPECIAL REPORT November 2013 A stitch in time Preserving peace on Bougainville Peter Jennings and Karl Claxton Executive summary This report sets out a plan that Australia should adopt now to help deliver a sustainable solution for the future From late 1997 to mid-2003, Australia at first supported and of Bougainville. The proposal is designed to help prevent then led a pathbreaking unarmed regional peacekeeping the need for a costly military intervention of the type seen mission that helped end a decade of conflict on Bougainville. so regularly in the Pacific in the past 15 years. A concerted The mission ensured that large-scale fighting didn’t resume pre-referendum focus on peacebuilding in Bougainville, and bought time to prepare for a more measured and coordinated with regional partners, will forestall the need for orderly future political settlement. Sadly, those preparations a Timor or Solomon Islands-style stabilisation later. haven’t been sufficient to give confidence that a workable political settlement has taken shape. The Papua New Guinea Government, donors, neighbours and officials on Bougainville have failed to build the capacity needed by the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) to remediate the causes of the 1990s conflict. Bougainvilleans do not yet have realistic options to choose either autonomy or independence. Although there have been some positive developments, most indicators are far from encouraging as the 2015–20 window for a referendum approaches. Misunderstandings between Port Moresby and the ABG persist, while Bougainville remains a deeply divided society. Economic imperatives to resume mining add new pressures. The most likely referendum outcome at the moment—Papua New Guinea refusing to ratify a clear but far from unanimous vote for an independence Bougainville is utterly unprepared for—would be destabilising.
    [Show full text]
  • Leadership Challenges for the Autonomous Bougainville Government
    Leadership Challenges for the Autonomous Bougainville Government PATRICK NISIRA SSGM DISCUSSION PAPER 2017/3 This discussion paper is based on a public speech 1990s become increasingly conscious of the long- delivered by the Hon. Patrick Nisira MHR, the Vice- term dangers for Bougainville if violent conflict President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, between Bougainvilleans continued. Any dreams of which was organised by the State, Society & Govern- self-determination for Bougainville would be under ance in Melanesia Program of the Coral Bell School grave threat. of Asia Pacific Affairs, ANU College of Asia and the Against that background, it should be no Pacific on 28 April 2016. surprise that from the very beginning of the peace The subject of the leadership challenges facing process, the focus amongst the Bougainville leaders the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) committed to the process was on unification is an important one, especially with the referendum of Bougainville. It was for that reason that the on the possible independence of Bougainville fast first step was the extended meeting of opposing approaching (it must be held no later than mid- Bougainvillean leaders in the Burnham One talks 2020). Leadership challenge is a subject that raises in New Zealand in mid-1997. And of course, those key issues about the central roles for the Autono- talks were in fact a resumption of the previous talks mous Bougainville Government (ABG) envisaged between the divided Bougainville leadership held by the Bougainville Peace Agreement (BPA). Many in Cairns, Australia, in September and December of the ABG’s leadership challenges are inherent in 1995, initiated largely by Theodore Miriung, the general situation of Bougainville in 2016.
    [Show full text]
  • Bougainville's President Toroama: Part Three – a Candidate in Four Elections 2010–20
    Published on June 29, 2021 Bougainville President Ishmael Toroama (right) at the launch of Halia Constituency's Development PlanAutonomous ( Bougainville Government/Facebook) Bougainville’s President Toroama: part three – a candidate in four elections 2010–20 By Anthony Regan This is the final in a three-part series discussing the little-known record and the leadership attributes of the newly elected (September 2020) President of Bougainville, Ishmael Toroama. This part discusses his candidature in four Link: Page 1 of 6 https://devpolicy.org/bougainvilles-president-toroama-part-three-a-candidate-in-four-elections-2010- 20-20210629/ Date downloaded: September 25, 2021 Published on June 29, 2021 elections in Bougainville since 2010 and considers the extent of, and the likely reasons for, his success in the 2020 Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) presidential election. It concludes with a brief comment on how his record has prepared him for the role of president, particularly in relation to post-referendum consultations with the Papua New Guinea (PNG) government about the future political status of Bougainville. A candidate in four elections 2010-20 Toroama first stood for election in 2010. The unexpected mid-2008 death of the first ABG president, Joseph Kabui (elected in mid-2005), apparently made Toroama attempt a move from a now-ended ‘military’ role into a political role, where he could support the pursuit of independence through political activities. In the 2010 ABG general election, he stood for South Nasioi, one of the 33 single- member constituencies in the ABG House of Representatives. Hecame second, gaining 707 votes to the winner’s 817.
    [Show full text]
  • IN BETWEEN: PERSONAL EXPERIENCES in the 9-YEAR LONG CONFLICT on BOUGAINVILLE by James Tanis
    IN BETWEEN: PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE 9-YEAR LONG CONFLICT ON BOUGAINVILLE By James Tanis & HABUNA MOMORUQU (THE BLOOD OF MY ISLAND) Violence and the Guadalcanal Uprising in Solomon Islands By George Gray While violent conflicts have long been the subject of academic analysis, few written accounts have been produced by those who have actually participated in violent conflict. The State, Society and Governance in Melanesia Project invited James Tanis and George Gray to prepare papers reflecting upon their personal involvement in the Bougainville and Solomon Islands conflicts respectively. Both authors presented their papers at the Australian Anthropological Society Annual Conference, 2002. In recording their experiences and analyses, James Tanis and George Gray offer us a unique insight into the motivations of those who participate in conflict, the effects of conflict on participants, and the way in which participants make sense of their involvement in violent conflict. The views expressed in these two papers are those of the authors alone and not those of the SSGM Project. IN BETWEEN: PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE 9-YEAR LONG CONFLICT ON BOUGAINVILLE James Tanis Introduction My name is James Tanis. I am 36. The name of my clan is Data and our clan totem is the white cockatoo. My village is up in the hills, south west of Panguna and it is cut in half by two different languages, Sibbee of the Nagovis, and Nasioi of the Ioro Area (Panguna Area). I thank you sincerely for inviting me to this conference to share my experiences in the Bougainville Conflict. Before going any further I must explain that there are many political leaders and commanders of factions who are more important than me.
    [Show full text]
  • Preserving Peace on Bougainville
    SPECIAL REPORT November 2013 A stitch in time Preserving peace on Bougainville Peter Jennings and Karl Claxton Executive summary This report sets out a plan that Australia should adopt now to help deliver a sustainable solution for the future From late 1997 to mid-2003, Australia at first supported and of Bougainville. The proposal is designed to help prevent then led a pathbreaking unarmed regional peacekeeping the need for a costly military intervention of the type seen mission that helped end a decade of conflict on Bougainville. so regularly in the Pacific in the past 15 years. A concerted The mission ensured that large-scale fighting didn’t resume pre-referendum focus on peacebuilding in Bougainville, and bought time to prepare for a more measured and coordinated with regional partners, will forestall the need for orderly future political settlement. Sadly, those preparations a Timor or Solomon Islands-style stabilisation later. haven’t been sufficient to give confidence that a workable political settlement has taken shape. The Papua New Guinea Government, donors, neighbours and officials on Bougainville have failed to build the capacity needed by the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) to remediate the causes of the 1990s conflict. Bougainvilleans do not yet have realistic options to choose either autonomy or independence. Although there have been some positive developments, most indicators are far from encouraging as the 2015–20 window for a referendum approaches. Misunderstandings between Port Moresby and the ABG persist, while Bougainville remains a deeply divided society. Economic imperatives to resume mining add new pressures. The most likely referendum outcome at the moment—Papua New Guinea refusing to ratify a clear but far from unanimous vote for an independence Bougainville is utterly unprepared for—would be destabilising.
    [Show full text]
  • Bougainville: Large-Scale Mining and Risks of Conflict Recurrence
    Bougainville: Large-scale Mining and Risks of Conflict Recurrence Anthony J. Regan Research on conflict resolution suggests that the significant risk of conflict recurrence in intra- state conflicts is much reduced by political settlements that ‘resolve the issues at stake’ between parties to the conflict, and that in conflicts involving grievances about distribution of natural resource revenues, such settlements should include natural resource wealth-sharing arrangements. This article shows that the Bougainville conflict origins involved far more complexity than natural resource revenue distribution grievances, and that the conflict itself then generated new sources of division and conflict, the same being true of both the peace process and the process to implement the Bougainville Peace Agreement (BPA). As a result, the BPA addresses many more issues than natural resource-related grievances. Such considerations make it difficult to attribute lack of conflict recurrence to particular factors in the BPA. While the BPA provisions on wealth-sharing address relations between the Papua New Guinea National Government and Bougainville, moves by the Autonomous Bougainville Government to explore possible resumption of large-scale mining has generated a new political economy in Bougainville, contributing to new tensions amongst Bougainvilleans. Most academic observers agree that the Bougainville conflict, 1988-97, would not have occurred but for the impacts of the huge Panguna copper and gold mine, operated in central Bougainville, 1972 to 1989, by Rio Tinto’s majority owned subsidiary, Bougainville Copper Ltd (BCL). Undoubtedly the dissatisfaction felt by many Bougainvilleans about the share of revenue received by not only customary landowners of mine lease areas, but also the wider population of Bougainville, was a significant factor in the origins of the conflict.
    [Show full text]