Bougainville President Ishmael Toroama has launched a strong defence of Bougainville’s push for independence, rejecting Papua New Guinea’s position that Parliament can refuse to affirm the 2019 referendum result and warning that such a move would undermine the peace process.
Addressing the Joint Supervisory Body (JSB) meeting in Port Moresby on Wednesday, Toroama said Bougainville entered the talks determined to uphold agreements reached by both governments since the 2019 referendum and called on PNG to honour the Joint Consultations Report and the Melanesian Framework.
“We are compelled by legal, political and moral responsibilities to respect, accept and adhere to the Joint Consultation Report and implement the Melanesian Framework.
“These are compliance documents. They reference nothing but the truth.
“They hold us accountable to our own signatures, Prime Minister,” he said.
Toroama took direct aim at the National Government’s recently adopted position describing Parliament’s role as a “non-affirming decision”, saying it wrongly suggests Parliament has unrestricted authority to reject the overwhelming referendum vote.
“I have read the text, and I must tell you frankly: it is a masterpiece of bureaucratic evasion and historical revisionism,” he said.
He rejected suggestions that Bougainville could remain under its current autonomy arrangements if Parliament declines to endorse independence.
“The National Government is treating our constitutional right to self-determination as if it were a performance review or some corporate evaluation subject to external yardsticks or the shifting political tides of the national parliament.
“Bougainville is moving away from the Autonomy space, let me make that clear,” Toroama stressed.
Toroama also criticised proposals that Bougainville could revisit its political status after meeting further conditions.
“This insults the intelligence of our people. By doing this, the National Government is asking us to trade a constitutional, internationally witnessed referendum result for an ambiguous promise of future political charity.
“We do not need a ‘clear pathway to revisit the question’—the question has been asked, answered, and sealed in ink and blood,” he emphasised.
He argued that rejecting the referendum outcome would contradict the Bougainville Peace Agreement.
“The Peace Agreement was built on the promise that the choice of the people would be negotiated in good faith toward a definitive conclusion.
“It was never intended to be an endless loop of consultations where Waigani holds a permanent veto.
“Any attempt by the National Parliament to vote down the referendum result, freezes us in a dead autonomy framework, or demand constitutional amendments just to kick the can down the road, is a rejection of the peace process itself. It’s unacceptable,” Toroama stressed.
Toroama also challenged recent parliamentary decisions on voting thresholds and sessional orders, saying they were introduced without the joint consultation required under previous agreements.
“Let it be very clear that the voting threshold and the Sessional Order were introduced in Parliament without the joint consultation, explicitly required under the Melanesian Agreement and the JSB resolution of 5 December 2025.
“Bougainville had no part in those decisions as required by law. Those were unilateral decisions made by the national government and the speaker of the national parliament.
“Bypassing mandatory consultation was, and is, actually, stepping away from the very spirit of our partnership,” he explained.
Calling on PNG lawmakers to study the Joint Consultations Report, Toroama described it as the blueprint for Bougainville’s transition to self-government and eventual sovereignty.
He said Bougainville’s final position on independence had been endorsed by the Autonomous Bougainville Government, the Bougainville House of Representatives and Bougainville’s national MPs through a series of consultations culminating in the July 2026 Kuri Resolution.
Toroama also defended Bougainville’s record on weapons disposal and the referendum process, noting both had been overseen and certified by the United Nations.
He said the 97.7 percent vote for independence remained beyond dispute.
“During those 40 days, not a single objection, dispute, or challenge was raised against the Referendum result by any party or citizen, including the National Government and the international community.
The 97.7 percent vote for independence is a sealed, certified, and immutable historical fact,” he emphasised.
Toroama urged both governments to protect the credibility of the peace process while delivering a final message to PNG Prime Minister James Marape.
“In the eyes of my people, THERE IS LEGAL JUSTICE, AND THERE IS MORAL JUSTICE. WITH DUE RESPECT PRIME MINISTER, “BOUGAINVILLE DEMANDS BOTH,” he said.
