Prime Minister James Marape has reaffirmed the Government’s ongoing activities to support the Bougainville Post-Referendum Consultation process and continued work to accelerate the drawdown of powers to the Autonomous Bougainville Government.
He outlined plans to convene a summit of National Government Public Service Leaders to reinforce the need to accelerate the transfer of powers to Bougainville, and the outcomes of a review on the capacity of the National Coordination Office for Bougainville Affairs (NCOBA).
“Cabinet last week signed off on two important issues that require urgent action. The first is a Summit of Public Service Departmental and Agency heads to give traction to the transfer of powers to the ABG. I will attend the summit in person where I will make my expectations clear.
“The second issue relates to a resolution of the Joint Supervisory Body (JSB) to undertake a review of NCOBA with a view to re-purposing it to better meet the needs of both governments as they consult on a long-term political settlement,” Prime Minister Marape said.
The summit will take place at APEC Haus in Port Moresby in the coming weeks.
“We will have to convene two smaller summits to ensure that we are COVID-19 safe and adhere to the Niupela Pasin, but the message I will deliver at both will be the same.
“That is, that we have a constitutional obligation to transfer powers to the ABG, and that our public service leaders must step up and ensure that this work takes place in a consultative manner and as quickly as possible,” he said.
Speaking on the re-purposing of NCOBA, the Prime Minister pointed out that a range of capacity constraints exists, and that there is a need to develop new institutional arrangements.
This is done so that NCOBA can play a facilitation and support role to the post-referendum consultations, and implementation of arrangements to give effect to a final political settlement whenever that decision is reached.
“It will be a matter for the National Parliament as to what arrangements are put in place following the consultations of the two governments. However, what is clear to the Government is that NCOBA in its current form has neither the capacity nor mandate to support this work.
“It is in that context, that Cabinet has agreed to support the possibility of establishing a new institutional model, which would act independently of the two governments in supporting future work to aid the finalisation and implementation of a long-term political settlement.”
The Prime Minister added that any decision on new institutional arrangements would need to be made between the two governments.
“It is my intention when the JSB next meets to propose a new institutional model to President, Ishmael Toroama and the ABG team.
“If we can reach agreement, the next step will be to work jointly to finalise the institutional model, before bringing legislation to both the National Parliament and the Bougainville Parliament to enact the new arrangements,” the Prime Minister said.