Bougainville President Ishmael Toroama said the government has been consciously grooming young people to step into more roles in the region's burgeoning bureaucracy. Photo: Autonomous Bougainville Government
Bougainville President Ishmael Toroama says he is "committed to building a government that is efficient, accountable, and fully capable of leading Bougainville into the future."
Speaking to the final session of parliament, ahead of the September elections, he said that independence remains the ultimate goal of Bougainville's political leadership.
Toroama has, for the past five-year term, relied on a five-pronged strategy to achieve this goal.
This strategy, he said, aimed to establish control and create a society where citizens can become responsible and law-abiding.
He said economic development is a key part of this, with the "Anchoring Bougainville Economy" programme, with revenue generation far below the level needed for self reliance.
This allows the establishment of a Bougainville-owned investment registry, a restructure the Bougainville Tax office and a new independent taxation system.
It also includes "the responsible reopening of the Panguna mine which is a vital economic asset that holds the potential to sustain a significant portion of Bougainville's budget."
With an eye to the future, Toroama said the government has also been consciously grooming young people to step into more roles in the region's burgeoning bureaucracy.
He said "we are now working to transfer key powers from the national government to Bougainville so that we can manage our own services, develop our own policies and build a public service that truly understands and serves our communities."
Toroama said it is about "real, practical control of our schools, our health services, our economy and our laws."
"Our journey towards self-determination must be built on solid, long-term planning," he said.
"Our government has moved beyond short-term responses to focus on where we want Bougainville to be not just tomorrow, but in the years and decades ahead."
Toroama also talked of the issues Bougainville still faces, including the financial dependence in the Papua New Guinea national government.
He said law and order issues, especially armed groups who remain outside the formal peace framework, remains a major problem.
"Bougainville still carries the scars of unresolved historical grievances, and pockets of social division linger in some communities."
