Former Rebel Leader Ishmael Toroama is New Bougainville President
It came down to the wire with the counting for the Bougainville presidential seat.
Third placed candidate Peter Tsiamalili Jr had to be eliminated to have a winner surging past the absolute majority of 52,779 in Ishmael Toroama- the former rebel leader.
Simon Dumarinu finished second in the race.
Ishmael Toroama joined the Panguna Militants (later known as the Bougainville Revolutionary Army) to shut down the giant Rio Tinto Panguna Copper Mine in 1988.
The local Panguna landowners led by late Francis Ona were not happy with the benefit sharing by the mine management and decided to start the uprising and close the mine for good.
Toroama was only 19 years old.
From 1988 to 1990, Toroama was a marked man, wanted by the Independent State of Papua New Guinea for his involvement in the Bougainville Crisis.
He survived the decade long war with scars all over his body.
Thirty-two years later, Mr Toroama is the new President of the Autonomous Bougainville Government for the 4th Bougainville House of Representatives.
He was declared by the Office of the Bougainville Electoral Commission (OBEC) Returning Officer Peter Wanga at 8am (BST) at Hutjena United Church Presidential Counting Center.
Mr Toroama who contested under his Bougainville People’s Advance Party (BPAP) raced away from the start to win against a field of 25 candidates including two women vying for the top post in ABG.
Born on February 28th 1969, the 51-year-old father of three mustered overwhelming beating wantok from Central Bougainville Fr Simon Dumarinu.
In an exclusive interview with the Post Courier just prior to his declaration on Wednesday 23rd September 2020, Mr Toroama spoke of his childhood with his missionary parents at the remote Roreinang Village, 10 kilometers from Aropa airport, Kieta district of Central Bougainville, where he was born, to the Highlands of Papua New Guinea.
In the early 1970s, Ishmael went to the Southern Highlands Province where his father who was a United Church missionary served at places like Kagua Erave, Nipa, Puril, Magarima and other surrounding areas in the province.
It was there at Southern Highlands that Ishmael could remember the early 1973 frost that hit the highlands region.
“We were at Puril, close to Nipa station, my father taught the locals there how to weave the Buka baskets. Today you see the people of Southern Highlands selling “Buka baskets” in Port Moresby and you think, where did this people get these design from?
Mr Toroama said his missionary teacher father natured him as he grew up till 1975 and went to stay at Wobi at Kagua Erave.
“My dad taught these highlanders how to play music, the tune of music, so they won a first prize on 16th September, 1975 and the locals there planted four trees which is still there today, locals call it “independence tree”.
The year 1976 the family returned home to Bougainville where Ishmael did his Grade 3 to 6 at Roreinang and went to Hutjena High School to do his Grade 7 to 10.
However, he did not complete his schooling and went off to look for jobs.
“Unfortunately I did not complete my Grades at the high school but I went looking for job opportunities and luckily I found work at the then Tonolei Development Corporation and worked there till the crisis broke out in 1988.
The young energetic Ishmael went over to join the Panguna militants from 1988 to 1990 and helped the Panguna people to especially close down the Panguna mine.”
“After that we went into the first peace talks in the ‘Endeavor Accord’ our team comprising of late Joseph Kabui, late Francis Ona did not partake and others stayed as observers, this peace talks failed.”
“Then in 1994 I attended the Arawa Peace Conference which Joseph Kabui and Francis Ona did not attend. I did not talk because they did not initiate the peace conference with Ona and Kabui so after that 1995 we went down to Cairns Talks in 1996 – 1997, we initiate a military coup within the BRA which we totally changed the political trend which I supported Kabui and Moses Pipiro and Chris Uma supported Francis Ona.”
According to Ishmael, the military coup contributed to the political change which there was a big political diversion through to the Burnham Declaration which we made strong decisions to release the Prisoners of War (POWs) and strong decision to cease the fighting on Bougainville.
Then in 31st August 2001 there was the signing of the Bougainville Peace Agreement.
Mr Toroama worked with the United Nations in the very successful initial weapons disposal program, UN came in and contributed immensely to bring normalcy back to Bougainville, he said.
In 2005 Mr Toroama worked with an enforcement agency Joint Peace Monitoring Group within the Bougainville Interim Government when there was no police presence and the ABG was not formed yet to oversee the security and law and order on the island.
“I played a big role in our journey to restore normalcy back to the island, security wise.”
Toroama highlighted that he is not new to the journey of Bougainville, he is very clear on big decisions which took place where, when and with who.
“With that background I registered my political interest and raised my hand to contest the 2015 ABG election, signaling the people of Bougainville of my intention announcing that one day I will change my career when the fight is over.”
Mr Toroama came second as runner-up to Chief Dr John Momis in the 2015 race.
He went back home, strategize, did his homework and came back strong in this election which he overwhelmingly won to play a vital role in enhancing our relationship under the consultation and ratification.
Under the Bougainville Peace Agreement, Mr Toroama took part in the weapons disposal program whereby the United Nation verified substantial compliance which led to the formation of the ABG in 2005.
“These are some of the big decisions which I made not for me but for the people of Bougainville whereby they will embrace democracy.”
Mr Toroama’s first duty in the office is to uproot corruption in all sectors of the ABG and its public service.
Then his utmost desire is to see the full enhancement of the law enforcing agency in Bougainville which is the Bougainville Police Service’s manpower and capacity so that the situation in Bougainville is contained fully.
“We can do legislation for the best interest of the people of Bougainville. Even the economy of Bougainville, I am more than ready to establish a catchment for the economic recovery of.
Post Courier/PNG Today Photo by : James R. Zimmerman
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