Referendum workshop ends with thanks to all

THE two day referendum workshop for the ABG parliamentarians ended on Wednesday in Malasang village on Buka in North Bougainville.

All members of the ABG parliament were made fully aware of the referendum preparations, the Bougainville calendar, aims and the agendas of the workshop and the way forward.

They formed break out groups comprising of 5 groups. Discussions were on weapons disposal, unification and reconciliation, good governance, referendum preparations 1 and referendum preparations 2 and the executive group headed by the vice president Patrick Nisira.

All members are now fully equipped and ready to go forth and empower the people in their constituencies to be prepared for referendum.

In his closing speech Mr Nisira thanked all members for attending the workshop and thanked the community for providing the venue.

“I sincerely thank you all for attending this workshop; I thank the community for providing the venue for us in this village of Malasang,” Mr Nisira said. “The referendum will be conducted throughout the Bougainville villages and not in air conditioned offices of urban centres.”

“Therefore today’s workshop venue is fitting to ensure members do not lose sight of the reality of our everyday life in the village.”

He also reminded the members that he agreed the future of Bougainville    must have a better quality of life than the life Bougainvilleans lived in 1988 at the start of the conflict.

“If Bougainville Provincial Government was the best in PNG, it is not the best for Bougainville,” he said.

“Bougainville must be the best in the world, if the future of Bougainville is not better than the state of Bougainville we rejected in 1988 then we are responsible for the many lives lost in this struggle believing in a better world,” Mr Nisira said.

CAPTION: MEMBERS AND THE ABG PRESIDENT POSE FOR A PHOTO AFTER THE WORKSHOP

Author: 
Peterson Tseraha