By Norm Dixon
Representatives of the people of Bougainville are involved in a vigorous debate over the merits of the process that began with peace talks in New Zealand in July. Another round of talks is scheduled for early October.
After two weeks of talks, brokered by the NZ government, 70 representatives of the pro-independence Bougainville Interim Government (BIG), the PNG-appointed Bougainville Transitional Government (BTG) and the pro-PNG "resistance" militias signed the Burnham Declaration on July 18. The declaration agreed on a common negotiating position to take to the October meeting, which will include the PNG government.
The parties agreed to call for the deployment of a "neutral" international peacekeeping force, a cease-fire, the withdrawal of PNG troops, the lifting of the PNG government's military blockade and restoring freedom of movement, and the "laying down of arms by all Bougainvilleans".
The process would culminate in Bougainvilleans being allowed to "freely and democratically exercise their right to determine their political future".
The talks followed the army mutiny in March, supported by militant mass demonstrations of workers, students and the poor, against the PNG government's plan to employ apartheid-linked mercenaries to crush the Bougainville rebellion.
The uprising made it impossible for Port Moresby to continue to seek a military solution. The Australian government had already been pressing Prime Minister Sir Julius Chan to attempt a political settlement.
The rebel Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA), while having succeeded in bringing the demoralised PNG occupation troops to a standstill, has been unable to win the war for independence.
The people of Bougainville have also suffered terribly during nine years of war and blockade. Basic services have all but ceased, and it is estimated that as many 12,000 Bougainvilleans have died due to a lack of basic medicines and food. Understandably, there was a lot of pressure on Bougainvillean leaders to end this suffering.
BTG Premier Gerard Sinato said the agreement was reached because Bougainvilleans were sick and tired of the war. He also said that a military solution was impossible.
The BIG delegation leader, Joseph Kabui, called on the PNG government to acknowledge that the process outlined in the Burnham Declaration was the best way to achieve peace. He said he believed the people of Bougainville would accept the declaration because it represented a united stand by Bougainvillean leaders of all opinions.
While the position of Kabui, by most accounts, represented the majority view of the BIG and its supporters, it was not unanimous. BIG President Francis Ona, who did not attend the NZ talks, expressed reservations about the declaration's failure to mention independence and suggestions that Australia may take part in the proposed peacekeeping exercise.
During the talks, Ona stressed that the only acceptable outcome would be a referendum on independence.
"Let the people decide what they want. I do not want to be seen as the madman who is dictating everything. I want people on the ground to be given their rights, rights to self-determination. This would be by a referendum on independence or some kind of relationship with PNG", he told an Agence France Press reporter on July 15.
Ona made it clear that he felt that anything less than independence could not bring peace. Other arrangements, such as autonomy, only meant that the "PNG government will come back with force and open the Panguna mine again, destroy people's lives and people's land. That will bring us back to square one. I don't want the PNG government to involve themselves in any way in this state. I think the best way to resolve the Bougainville issue is for people's rights to be preserved."
On August 25, Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer announced that $100 million in aid to PNG would be redirected to a reconstruction program on Bougainville over five years. The money would go to building or upgrading a medical centre, schools and transport infrastructure.
Downer also announced that Canberra would "consider" requests to provide boots, uniforms and rations to the PNGDF troops on Bougainville. He said that Australia could provide logistical support for a peacekeeping force and that Australian Federal Police officers might take part.
On August 28, PNG Prime Minister Bill Skate stated that "independence is non-negotiable" despite his cabinet voting to endorse the Burnham Declaration earlier in the week.
"That PNG will not negotiate on independence, or even a referendum, makes a mockery of the negotiation process", Ona angrily replied.
On September 1, Ona issued a "Proclamation of Independence" which restated the reasons for Bougainville's struggle, insisted that any genuine act of self-determination must include the option of independence and opposed the participation of Australia in any force to police a settlement because of Canberra's record of arming and funding the PNGDF. "They are not neutral", he explained.
"People have laid down their lives for [independence]", Ona said, explaining that independence is what most Bougainvilleans want. "A referendum will show this. People must have freedom to express their views ... History shows that wars carelessly ended break out again if the root cause is not removed. Past mistakes not corrected now will result in more blood being shed."
Ona's intervention widened differences within the BIG. On September 2, BIG spokesperson in Australia Moses Havini claimed, "The 'advisers and authors' of this apparent 'Proclamation' were two Australian expatriates very close and very influential to Mr Ona".
Havini criticised Ona for not trusting his own people, and instead listening to advice "from people that were not even Bougainville nationals, connected to the cause, or have not personally in their lives and families experienced human loss as a result of the war on Bougainville. It also makes a mockery of Mr Ona's leadership on Bougainville to be listening to outsiders other than his own Bougainvillean advisers.
"This is not an academic exercise. We are talking about people's lives, ending the war collectively and a settlement of the people's political aspirations through an accepted process."
Havini went on to say that Ona's proclamation had "sent total confusion amongst Bougainvilleans".
The PNG government seized upon Havini's claim that outside "meddlers" were behind Ona's reservations. Minister for Bougainville affairs Sam Akoitai described it as "confirmation" that "The fighting on Bougainville has been going on because of opinions that have been pumped into Bougainville by foreigners. If it was left to Bougainvilleans alone, we can come up with a solution."
Akoitai contradicted Skate, saying that the government would set aside the issue of independence for now and "allow the peace process and the reconciliation process to continue". He urged Ona to join the next round of talks.
Bougainville opposition MP Father John Momis, who is reportedly close to Ona, has also suggested a period of dialogue and reconstruction prior to a referendum on the island's political future, modelled on the Matignon Accord between the Kanak independence movement and France.
Kabui said Skate's rejection of independence was "not the language that we would like to hear ... The issue of self-determination ... must remain the property of the people of Bougainville. It's the people of Bougainville that must decide, and the mechanism has been put in place in Burnham."