PAPUA New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape has urged lawmakers to handle Bougainville’s push for independence through constitutional process, political dialogue and national unity.
His call comes as Parliament prepares to deliberate on the outcome of the 2019 referendum.
Speaking in Parliament, Marape said the referendum result, which delivered 97.97 per cent support for independence, remains a powerful expression of Bougainville sentiment, but not the final legal step.
Under PNG’s constitutional framework, he said, the National Parliament must still consider the result and determine the next course of action.
Marape framed the coming debate as a test of statecraft rather than a simple yes-or-no vote.
“If Parliament says yes, practical realities must be addressed. If Parliament says no, solutions must still be found,” he told lawmakers, signalling that either outcome would require negotiation between Port Moresby and the Autonomous Bougainville Government.
The prime minister also pointed to the 2001 Bougainville Peace Agreement, saying more than two decades without renewed armed conflict showed the value of dialogue over war.
“Since 2001, no guns have been fired in conflict between Bougainville and Papua New Guinea,” he said, describing the peace process as one of the country’s most important achievements.
The Bougainville question has long carried heavy political and historical weight in PNG. The referendum was held under the terms of the peace agreement that ended a decade-long conflict linked in large part to the Panguna mine dispute.
Although the vote produced an overwhelming mandate for independence, it is non-binding and must be processed through PNG’s constitutional and parliamentary systems before any change in status can take effect.
Marape said the broader discussion now had to confront issues beyond the referendum tally, including governance capacity, economic sustainability, institutional readiness and the future relationship between Bougainville and the rest of Papua New Guinea.
He warned against treating Parliament’s decision as a symbolic endorsement or rejection alone, arguing that any outcome would need practical arrangements and sustained cooperation.
The National Government and the Autonomous Bougainville Government are now putting parliamentary procedures and sessional orders in place to guide the debate, with deliberations expected to continue leading up to the 25th anniversary of the peace agreement in August.
Marape urged the country to approach the issue without fear and to trust the constitutional system that has underpinned the long peace since the conflict ended.
