Writer says Bouganiville people moving towards independence

Transcript

An emerging writer from Bougainville says its people are steadily taking ownership of the process towards viable independence.

Leonard Fong Roka says Bougainvilleans are increasingly pre-occupied with shaping a better, self-reliant future, moving on from the civil war.

He told Johnny Blades the Bougainville conflict was about exploitation, indoctrination and genocide:

LEONARD FONG ROKA: We've been exploited through the mining of Panguna and indoctrination comes through our identity, our identity, it's all about dignity of a people, of Bougainvilleans. We Bougainvilleans, we are Solomon Islanders. We are not new Guineans or Papuans. These two issues relate to the issue of genocide, just like West Papuans under Indonesia. The current process, even the Bougainville Peace Agreement, as we move towards the referendum, I really did pinpoint (at the Lowy Institute's recent New Voices conference in Port Moresby) the question: is the peace process addressing the three fundamental problems Bougainville has been subjected to? And looking at the legal aspects of the Bougainville issue, through the Bougainville constitution, I believe we have at least accommodated these problems or we are on the process of addressing the three very fundamental problems Bougainville is subjected to. However our constitution is one thing. Actually putting that constitution into action on Bougainville is another challenge for us Bougainvilleans*. *But through time we are
learning, we are learning from our own mistakes, and in the long run I believe we will still reach our ambition of  creating a better Bougainville in the future.

JOHNNY BLADES: With this referendum, the window for the referendum coming up soon, is it coming at the right time?  Do you think Bougainville will go independent and will manage it?

LFR: The window for referendum is, I think, on track. We can say it's on track, and then also it's not on track. Two answers. The political situation on the ground. The way people think and make contribution. Then the issue that is another aspect... the division on Bougainville, it's not a problem. But the problem is the political process on Bougainville, how politicians try and deal with the pillars of the Bougainville Peace Agreement, how they look at it. In effect, about how the people on the ground think, the ordinary people.. when we are designing the referendum, whatever the outcome is, it will all be dependent on how the people/ABG relationship [plays out]. It's not the people/PNG relationship but the locals.

JB: What about young people in Bougainville, are they very interested in politics, are they interested in taking charge of their own destiny?

LFR: On Bougainville, the young are really fine-tuned to this because most of them, they grew up out of the crisis, they were born in the crisis, and they are willing. In Divine Word University, where I am, my juniors, we are
always talking about Bougainville, every day.