Joint Supervisory Body

These two points underpinned his message as he called for a clearer Parliamentary pathway to allow for the continuation of dialogue on the processing of the Bougainville’s referendum results.

The Prime Minister was speaking on Tuesday when closing the Joint Supervisory Body (JSB) meeting in Wabag, Enga Province and the 2nd Joint Inter-Government Consultation.

“As far as constitutional provision is concerned, with regard to one part of the country becoming independent, the Constitution is silent,” Marape said.

Under the Joint Inter-Government Consultations, post referendum consultation included the Tabling of (the) Kokopo Joint Statement and the Tabling of (the) Wabag Joint Statement. The JSB acknowledged and endorsed both joint statements.

First on the agreement under JSB matters, was the implementing of the Sharp Agreement. This included Fisheries where the JSB

The referendum will give the people of Bougainville the opportunity to express their opinion on the future political status of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, as guaranteed in the 2001 Peace Agreement.

Following the Joint Supervisory Body’s (JSB) decision last week, polling for the referendum will start on 12^th October 2019.

The JSB also endorsed the work of the Post-Referendum Planning Taskforce, which will meet again in the week of 4 March with UN support.

PM Peter O’Neill was responding to queries raised by North Bougainville MP, Lauta Atoi, who cited a K437 million commitment made by the PNG Government last December, for infrastructure projects.

The Prime Minister told parliament he did not recall a K437 million commitment made in December 2017, but was aware of the ongoing projects that the North Bougainville MP was referring to.

These projects came under the K500 million commitment under the Special Intervention Fund, which was signed off in 2010.

This was revealed by Chief Secretary Joseph Nobetau in his weekly radio program update on NBC Bougainville this week.

“We are currently waiting on advice from the Prime Minister of his availability, but symbolically we would like to see the JSB happening in Arawa around ABG Day in June,” said Nobetau.

Chief among the agenda items are for the two governments to reach an agreement on the question for the referendum and the eligibility criteria. 

He made the commitment during the closing of the Joint Supervisory Body meeting in Port Moresby on Friday (Dec 15).

The conclusion of the JSB meeting began with ironing of technical agreements, which then led to a negotiation scenario.

After two hours and with both sides satisfied, binding documents were signed.

Later in a joint media conference, PM O’Neill announced that at the heart of the meeting was the referendum agenda, particularly the setting up of the referendum transitional committee.