Dr Allan Marat, chairman of the Bipartisan Parliamentary Committee on Bougainville Affairs, presented the committee’s long-awaited report on nationwide public consultations about the Bougainville referendum to the Papua New Guinea Parliament on Tuesday, urging transparent, careful parliamentary consideration as the country moves to implement its responsibilities under the Bougainville Peace Agreement and the Constitution.
The consultations, the report says, were held across five centres to represent the country’s major regions: Goroka (Highlands), Lae (Momase), Kokopo (New Guinea Islands), Port Moresby (Southern), and Buka and Arawa in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville. Participants included a broad cross‑section of society — community leaders, church representatives, women’s and youth groups, civil society organisations, academics, lawyers, former and current public officials and members of the general public — with the aim of capturing diverse perspectives on Bougainville’s future governance options.
Dr Marat set out the consultation’s core findings to Parliament, stressing three recurring themes. First, there was near‑universal recognition of the need to preserve peace and stability and an insistence that whatever decisions follow the referendum must not jeopardise the peace achieved through years of dialogue and reconciliation. Second, participants repeatedly emphasised adherence to the constitutional and legal processes, calling on Parliament to address the referendum outcome in a transparent manner consistent with the Bougainville Peace Agreement. Third, contributors raised practical concerns about any future arrangements, flagging gaps in local governance capacity, questions over economic sustainability, and the need for institutional development and careful, staged planning.
Throughout his presentation, Dr Marat framed the report as both a record of the people’s voices and a practical guide for policymakers. He told MPs the committee considered it essential that parliamentary deliberations be open and clearly communicated so the public can follow how decisions are reached. He also called for sustained dialogue and cooperation between national authorities and Bougainville’s leadership to ensure any transition is orderly and inclusive.
The appearance of the report in Parliament prompted an immediate reaction from lawmakers. Many Members of Parliament during the debate urged that the formal parliamentary debate on the referendum outcome be deferred to a later sitting to allow MPs more time to study the report and grasp its implications. Those calls reflect concerns among some legislators that the volume and complexity of submissions — and the technical questions about constitutional processes, governance readiness and economic planning — require further scrutiny before a definitive parliamentary response.
The committee’s report therefore represents the latest development in PNG’s ongoing implementation of the Bougainville Peace Agreement. Its publication brings the voices gathered at consultations into the parliamentary record and sets the stage for further procedural steps: how and when Parliament will formally debate and act on the referendum outcome, and what preparatory measures will be taken to address the capacity and economic issues identified. Dr Marat concluded by reaffirming the committee’s commitment to uphold Bougainvilleans’ rights and to support a peaceful, transparent process as the nation navigates this pivotal phase.