Historic Bougainville Vote Result Reaches Floor of PNG Parliament

 

 Historic Bougainville Vote Result Reaches Floor of PNG Parliament/PNG Parliament photo

It was a moment years in the making — Papua New Guinea's Parliament this week formally received the results of the 2019 Bougainville Referendum, confirming that 97.7 percent of Bougainvilleans voted in favour of breaking away and forming an independent nation.

 

The tabling was carried out by Bougainville Affairs Minister Manaseh Makiba, who alongside the referendum results also presented the Joint Consultation Report and the Melanesian Framework Agreement to the House. The former document chronicles the consultations carried out jointly by the national government and Bougainville's leadership since the referendum, while the latter maps out a possible course of action should Parliament vote to accept the result.

Parliament did not enter into full debate on any of the three documents at this stage, and questions remain, particularly around the Melanesian Framework Agreement, which Minister Makiba confirmed only addresses a scenario where Parliament votes in support of Bougainville's referendum result. He acknowledged that the two governments have not yet found common ground on an alternative pathway should that vote go the other way.

Still, the Minister was firm that no outcome is guaranteed either way, telling the House that Parliament "retains the discretion to make any decision on the Referendum results as it considers appropriate."

Makiba noted that a negative vote would not necessarily close the door, as a way forward could still be shaped within the bounds of the Bougainville Peace Agreement. He ended his address with a reminder to fellow MPs of the enormous responsibility now resting on their shoulders, urging them to keep faith with the aspirations Bougainvilleans expressed at the ballot box when the time comes to cast their vote.