Ex-combatants and chiefs in South Bougainville have expressed commitment and support for the Autonomous Bougainville Government elections. They were responding to statements by Me’ekamui leader Francis Ona, on his first visit to Buka last week after 16 years in the bush, that he would disrupt the coming autonomous government election.

While welcoming Mr Ona’s public appearances the leaders said he should have consulted first with authorities in Bougainville.
They said they had “had enough’’ of living with promises from Mr Ona. Nothing he had promised had materialised.

“We are tired of lip service and dreams. We want something put in place by (Mr) Ona,” the leaders said. On the monarch system of a government imposed by Mr Ona in which close followers now refer to him as king, the leaders said Bougainville had never had any such system in its history.

“Mr Ona, as a recognised leader by his own right, should not use innocent Bougainville chiefs as the tools to crown himself as a king.’’

The leaders adopted nine resolutions at a meeting last week which was sent to the Bougainville administration to counter Mr Ona’s attack on the government of Bougainville. They wanted to assure the administration they were behind it and were committed to the elections. The Bougainville administration has also assured of the security of the elections.

Source: Postcourier