The decisive hour for Bougainville's independence: Papua New Guinea's Parliament finally decides whether to ratify it
- The chamber will vote on August 30 whether to endorse the 2019 referendum, in which 97.7% of voters chose to separate from Papua New Guinea
The Parliament of Papua New Guinea has begun debating the political future of Bougainville, the autonomous region that voted overwhelmingly for independence in a 2019 referendum. Prime Minister James Marape has proposed that the chamber make a decision on August 30, on the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the peace agreement that ended the Bougainville War.
The vote is expected to be decisive for the island's future. In the 2019 referendum, 97.7% of voters supported independence, with very high turnout. But the result was not binding: according to the peace process, the final word lies with the Parliament of Papua New Guinea, which must decide whether to ratify the mandate expressed by Bougainville.
The debate opened with the presentation of a bipartisan committee report on Bougainville, following public consultations on the referendum result. Marape asked deputies to address the issue with "wisdom, respect, and unity" and insisted that any outcome must follow the constitutional framework and maintain peace. The Prime Minister acknowledged that the referendum result should be respected, but also emphasized that the parliament must consider issues such as security, governance, economic sustainability, and the future relationship between Bougainville and Papua New Guinea. According to Marape, whether the chamber says yes or no, the decision cannot be a simple answer without solutions.
The debate, however, has already shown the depth of divisions. The Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, Belden Namah, a former army soldier during the Bougainville conflict, strongly opposed ratification. He said that Bougainville had not sufficiently fulfilled the disarmament and good governance commitments foreseen in the peace agreement and accused Bougainville President Ishmael Toroama of acting as if the island were already an independent state.
Namah particularly criticized Toroama's public appearances in military attire and references to a Bougainville defense force, which is not permitted by Papua New Guinea's constitution. He went so far as to speak of an act of sedition and warned that Bougainville's independence could give rise to more separatist movements.
The autonomous government of Bougainville responded harshly. Vice President Ezekiel Masatt accused Namah of making personal attacks against Toroama and himself and recalled the army's role during the war. According to Masatt, some deputies intervene in the debate without considering the post-referendum consultation process or the mandate expressed by the population.
Toroama, for his part, called for calm and unity among Bougainville's citizens. He said that no parliamentary debate could erase the island's history or diminish the democratic mandate expressed in the referendum. The Bougainville President has warned several times that if Papua New Guinea does not ratify independence, he will declare it unilaterally in 2027.
The Bougainville War lasted nearly a decade and caused thousands of deaths. The 2001 peace agreement established the region's autonomy, progressive disarmament, and the call for a self-determination referendum. Now, twenty-five years later, the process enters its most delicate phase.
Marape has hinted that intermediate formulas or special relationship models could still be explored, such as broad autonomy or association agreements. But for Bougainville's leaders, the mandate of the referendum is unequivocal: the population did not vote for enhanced autonomy, but for independence. On August 30, the Parliament of Papua New Guinea will have to decide whether to close the peace process by ratifying the result or to open a new stage of uncertainty with a refusal or an intermediate proposal.
