The Civic Awareness and Consultation Program of the Constitutional Planning Commission (CPC) for Central Bougainville was officially launched in Arawa yesterday.
The launching, officiated by President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Ishmael Toroama, signified the awareness and consultation program to begin in Central Bougainville, in which the BCPC will be visiting community governments, schools and other formal and informal institutions to gauge views from the public to draft a new constitution for Bougainville.
President Toroama challenged Bougainvilleans to actively participate in the creation of a new Constitution for the region, through the Bougainville Constitutional Planning Commission.
“It is time people must get to decide what kind of a nation they want Bougainville to be and support the commissioners in giving your views to create a new constitution for a sovereign nation of Bougainville when they visit your communities,” he said.
“When we launch the program of the commissioners, it gives you that new look, how the new independent nation of Bougainville will be, so let us work together to support our commissioners by contributing our ideas and views to write a new home-grown constitution for a sovereign Bougainville.”
As the chairman of the BCPC, President Toroama officially announced:
- The beginning of civic awareness as the first phase of public consultation in framing a new constitution for the sovereign independent nation of Bougainville;
- That the civic awareness will be conducted Bougainville-wide to prepare Bougainvilleans to participate constructively;
- That the civic awareness will inform Bougainvilleans on the role of the BCPC, the need for a sovereign constitution and the citizens’ responsibilities in the constitution making process and;
- That the civic awareness shall be conducted within four weeks at ward levels in the community governments, schools and all other formal and informal institutions.
“I hereby, pronounce this 4th day of May 2022 as the commencement date of the civic awareness on our people’s constitutional making process for all citizens and residence of Central Bougainville,” he announced.
President Toroama, accompanied by the Attorney General and Minister for Justice and Bougainville Independence Mission Implementation (BIMI), Ezekiel Massat, will be in Buin today to officially launch the civic awareness and consultation program for South Bougainville.
Meanwhile, commissioners in North Bougainville and Nissan/Atolls had begun their consultation and awareness this week following the North Bougainville launching on Monday.
All commissioners are expected to begin the civic awareness and consultations this month.