By FIDELIS SUKINA
The referendum issue poses a lot of questions for
Bougainvillian’s but it will satisfy most of the population.
Those were the words of the Referendum, Weapons disposal,
and Peace and unification committee Member Marcellin Kokia who is the
representative of women in central Bougainville in the Autonomous Bougainville
Government.
She was part of the ABG’s committee that was here to meet
the PNG parliamentary committee on Bougainville affairs last week in Port
Moresby.
She said referendum was a sensitive issue for some that had gone
through in the civil war in Bougainville.
“The issue of referendum is a sensitive issue and is frightening
for some who went through what happened in the past”. Kokia said
She added that so many questions were present in the minds
of Bougainvillian’s at this moment towards the vote that looms, and with less
than five years to go those questions keep lingering.
“One of the questions is, what kind of questions will be put
on the paper before the vote takes place another question is what will happen
if the vote does not come out in a way that we expect, more votes to say no
than yes what an comes in who is there to ensure there is peace and no fights”.
Kokia said
She said that one of the ways to combat the questions was an
idea from the parliamentary committee on Bougainville affairs chaired by
Southern highlands regional member William Powi.
“One of the ideas that was suggested by the parliamentary committee
on Bougainville affairs, was that they are willing to come to Bougainville, to
hear it and see for themselves what the Bougainvillian’s want whether they are
for referendum or not, to see the
components of weapons disposal they want to see it for themselves “.
“To me that is, the start of reconciliation it is a kind of
healing process for them to go back to Bougainville, it will bring a lot of reactions
towards them when they come and see the people”.
“Bougainvillian’s are very happy with referendum because it
gives meaning to their lives it helps them in some ways to satisfy what they
went through also satisfying their want for the future”. Kokia said
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