By Winterford Toreas – Post Courier
PRESIDENT of the Autonomous Bougainville Government Chief Dr John Momis has been called to immediately remove one of his advisors.
The call was made by the former combatants from Bougainville during a meeting they held in Buka last week.
According to a petition from the former combatants, they want the Dr Momis to immediately remove this advisor (named) within three days from the date this resolution was made.
The petition which was signed by the chairman and vice chairman of the three former combatants associations from North, Central and South Bougainville will be presented to Dr Momis today by the three associations’ representatives in the Bougainville House of Representatives.
The former combatants said the engagement of this advisor, whom they said, was previously removed by the late ABG President Joseph Kabui, was insulting to the integrity of educated Bougainvilleans, the public and most importantly the former combatants who were stakeholders in many outstanding issues like mining and the review of the Bougainville Peace Agreement.
The demands contained in this petition include:
- Particular expatriate advisor to the ABG President and the Bougainville Executive Council in person of (named) be permanently removed from Bougainville within three days from the date of this resolution and further be barred from acting as such advisor to the ABG;
- That more public awareness be conducted on the development of Bougainville’s mining laws and policies before they are passed by the ABG Parliament;
- That the ABG Mining Department be given full responsibility to drive the development of Bougainville Mining Laws and Policies without undue foreign influence and;
- That the three ex-combatants members of the ABG Parliament present this petition to the president.
Although the former combatants have failed to outline in detail their reasons for their demand in the removal of this advisor, it is understood that this decision was reached following misconceptions that many Bougainvilleans have towards this particular advisor.
