Bougainville’s top government lawyer has accused the Papua New Guinea Government of putting up road blocks to Bougainville’s independence.
The ABG’s Attorney-General and Minister for Independence Mission Implementation Ezekiel Massat has accused the National Government of making the independence process very difficult.
He told the Post-Courier Wednesday that given Bougainville Minister Manasseh Makiba’s national statement in Parliament recently accompanied by Prime Minister James Marape’s statement, he had formed the view that the National Government was hell bent on making Bougainville’s Independence an impossibility.
Massat has threatened to advise the ABG to reject being part of the government’s bipartisan committee if certain aspects they require for consultations with the National MPs are not included.
Recently the National Government rejected the Autonomous Bougainville Government’s call for the parliament to rubber stamp the Bougainville referendum result, arguing the parliament “is open to make any decision” on the autonomous region’s future.
Makiba told parliament that the national government and the ABG had been unable to agree on the role of the house in dealing with the referendum result.
“Technical officials from the ABG say that parliament should just endorse or approve the referendum result,” Makiba said.
“State officials’ position, consistent with advice from the State Solicitor and the Attorney General’s Department, is that parliament is open to make any decision by voting on it.”
He said both sides had agreed to allow the parliament to adopt a special procedure for tabling and deciding on the referendum result by the end of the year, following a fresh consultation process throughout the provinces.
But Massat said faulty legal advice given to National Government has misled the government into thinking the Parliament was at liberty to come up with other “decisions”, which was wrong.
“The options agreed to on the referendum ballot was ‘greater autonomy’ and ‘independence’, and the people have voted for ‘independence’ in a Constitutionally guaranteed referendum,” Massat said.
“It is my hope that the next Joint Supervisory Body (JSB)meeting will be fruitful and will dispel our fears that the National Government under PM James Marape is putting up roadblocks to Bougainville’s Independence.”
“Given Makiba’s statement accompanied by Prime Minister Marape’s accompanying statement, I have formed the view that the National Government is hell bent on making Bougainville’s Independence an impossibility.
“My assessment is based on their attempts to control the narrative towards the conclusion that National Parliament is the supreme, which is incorrect, the Constitution is supreme and at the same time providing as many obstacles as possible through the voting majority at the ratification stage.”
“A meeting between the two parliamentary clerks some weeks ago in Lae resolved that the minister will bring the referendum results, consultation outcomes and a joint report to National Parliament through a sessional order and that the majority vote will be a simple majority for ratification.
“The NEC unilaterally altered it to absolute majority without consultations with the two legislatures and the ABG,” Massat said.
“It is my view that faulty legal advice has led the National Government to think –
a) National Parliament is supreme. It is not. It’s the Constitution that’s supreme.
b) National Parliament has veto powers. No it doesn’t. It is required to merely endorse.
“The people of Bougainville had engaged in a constitutionally guaranteed Referendum and we will gain Independence not before 2025 but no later than 2027,” he said.
SOURCE: POST COURIER/PACNEWS
