THE decision by the Papua New Guinea parliament to adopt a draft sessional order on the results of the Bougainville Referendum, has been labelled a breach of the Melanesian Agreement.
Bougainville President Ishmael Toroma said the order was adopted without the required consent of the Speaker of the Bougainville House of Representatives and ran contrary to the principles of respect, good faith and partnership that underpin the Bougainville Peace Agreement.
“I am disappointed in certain parts of the Prime Minister’s (James Marape) statements, the order of the debate and the unilateral position on the negotiated majority threshold,’’ Toroma said.
“I warned that the resolve of the people of Bougainville would be tested by events in the national parliament and urged all Bougainvilleans to remain calm, united, and respectful. I echo that entreaty now. I repeat that our strength remains our unity of purpose and our faith in the justice of our cause.’’
The Melanesian Agreement between PNG and the Autonomous Bougainville Government was designed to create a clear political pathway to independence under PNG’s constitution.
Toroma said Bougainville would continue to engage with the PNG government in good faith, despite recent attempts to subvert the agreement and undermine the ratification process.
“I now call on the facilitator appointed to support development of the Melanesian Framework to activate that (United Nations) commitment to international monitoring and convene a meeting of international partners, representatives of the international community and the international witnesses to the signing of the Bougainville Peace Agreement, to address the breach by the national government of its commitments,’’ he said.
