Bougainville’s vice‑president has accused Papua New Guinea parliamentarians of prematurely turning a parliamentary hearing on the Bipartisan Committee’s consultation report into a debate about ratifying Bougainville’s future — a move he says risks undermining ongoing negotiations and could push the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) to reconsider its participation in the current process.
In a strongly worded statement, Ezekiel Masatt, who is also minister responsible for the Bougainville Independence Mission, said the ratification question “was foolish and premature” when raised during Parliament’s session on Tuesday. He set out four conditions he says must be met before any ratification matter can be placed before Parliament: it must be brought by the Minister for Bougainville Affairs, the Melanesian Agreement must be concluded, the Melanesian Agreement must be incorporated into the Post Referendum Consultations Report, and the Technical Teams must complete that Post Referendum Consultations Report.
Masatt told reporters that, contrary to the impression given in Parliament, neither the Melanesian Agreement nor the Post Referendum Consultations Report have been finalised. “Every member who spoke Tuesday spoke with ignorance, because they are not privy to the Agreed Outcomes of the Melanesian Agreement,” he said, adding that while talks were progressing “there hasn’t been any agreements reached on the differing positions” between the ABG and the National Government.
The vice‑president’s comments were prompted after Dr Allan Marat, chairman of the Bipartisan Parliamentary Committee on Bougainville Affairs, presented the committee’s report on nationwide public consultations on the Bougainville referendum during the parliamentary sitting. Masatt questioned the intent of elevating the committee session into a ratification debate and warned that if the National Government signalled it no longer supported the ongoing consultative process, “the ABG stands ready to abandon the Melanesian Agreement … and look at other available options.”
Masatt also responded sharply to personal attacks from PNG Tourism Minister Belden Nama, who had criticised President Ishmael Toroama and Masatt during the parliamentary debate. Masatt stressed that neither he nor President Toroama are members of the National Parliament and rejected Nama’s portrayal of himself as a wartime “hero.” He challenged Nama’s account of his role in past Bougainville operations and said the president — not Nama — was the true hero of Bougainville’s history. Masatt further accused Nama of past misconduct, saying “record shows Nama was convicted for mutiny,” a claim he made in his statement.
The vice‑president urged national parliamentarians to wait until the Melanesian Agreement is concluded and the Post Referendum Consultations Report is finalised before attempting any vote on Bougainville’s political future. His remarks underline rising tensions between Bougainville leaders and some Papua New Guinea MPs over how and when to proceed with parliamentary consideration of the referendum outcome and associated consultations.
Masatt’s intervention represents the latest development in a sensitive phase of talks between the ABG and the National Government. With technical teams still drafting agreed outcomes, the vice‑president framed Tuesday’s parliamentary debate as premature and potentially damaging to a negotiated pathway — a warning that could complicate the timetable and politics around the next steps for Bougainville’s constitutional future.