Bougainville Economically Viable for Independence, says ABG Vice President

Bougainville’s Vice President, Patrick Nisira, says the region is economically viable to become an independent sovereign state.

Speaking in the June sitting of the House of Representatives in Buka last week, Mr. Nisira, says there have been criticisms that the autonomous region must first attain fiscal self-reliance, by generating its own sufficient revenues, before it can push for political independence.

But Mr. Nisira says this has not been the case for many countries which are now independent nations, including Papua New Guinea.

He told Parliament that as Commerce, Trade and Economic Development Minister, he has prepared the Low Hanging Fruit economic plan, which will be brought to the Bougainville Executive Council for endorsement, before it can be implemented to improve the region’s revenue generation.

Mr. Nisira says under the plan the government will announce initial business ventures early next year, valued at 19-million US Dollars, or about K68-million, and economic investments by the ABG valued at 100-million US Dollars or about K400-million, that will create up to 2000 jobs in the economy.

''Where do we draw our confidence from? When you look around  Bougainville has a lot of natural resources and we will have to manage them and run our own government.

We have the Panguna Mine, and at one-time Panguna mine bankroll the Independence of PNG in 1975, and that same Panguna mine will bankroll the Indepdnece of Bougainville,'' said the Vice President. 

The Vice president also brushed aside concerns from the individual regarding Economic independent prior to Bougainville's political independence.

NBC News / PNG Today

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