News that might not otherwise make it - 1
27 September 2021
EDITED BY KEITH JACKSON
Bougainville at the heart of the United Nations
PETER TSIAMALILI MP
| Vice Minister for Bougainville Affairs
NEW YORK - What an honour and privilege it is to accompany our prime minister, James Marape, to New York to witness the 76th General Assembly of the United Nations.
I am overwhelmed knowing my Lord has led me this far for my people, past, present and future.
However, what is more significant and humbling is that my name in the building of the United Nations is not new.
The man I call my chief, my hero, my mentor and my Dad had already set his mark.
The late Peter Sobby Tsiamalili (1952–2007) served as the first chief administrator of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville and also represented Papua New Guinea as a diplomat in Fiji and Belgium and as ambassador to the United Nations.
Today I represent him in my role as the mandated Governor for Bougainville, something only God knew would happen.
I want to take this opportunity to express my deepest appreciation to our prime minister James Marape for the foresight and leadership in inviting me to the United Nations and in ensuring I met with Secretary-General, António Guterres.
At the one-on-one bilateral meeting, I took the opportunity, on behalf of the people of Bougainville, to sincerely thank the United Nations for its support of Bougainville.
I presented ‘mimis’ [shell money] as a sign of respect to the Secretary-General, who now lays the foundation for Bougainville in the future of the UN. I also presented Mr Guterres with a handmade chocolate from St Raphael’s at Tabago in Bougainville.
It is said that global networking is important in diplomacy. Person to person contact defines the relationship.
A good Samaritan grievously injured
SAMARITAN AVIATION
WEWAK - Two weeks ago, we flew out to Ambunti to pick up Malik, a 35-year-old man who had been attacked and struck on the back of the head with a tree branch
In an effort to protect some young women from being sexually assaulted by a group of drunken men, Malik suffered serious brain trauma.
When we visited him and his wife Gloria at the hospital, we soon discovered his injury had resulted in impaired brain function and memory loss.
Malik was released from the hospital last week, and while his brain function has slightly improved, his condition is much the same.
Please pray for continued healing for this brave man and ask that the Lord make Himself known to Malik and his family, giving them the peace and hope that can only come through a relationship with Jesus Christ.
People have suffered not because of PNG but the political leaders of the province who continue to allow mafia type gangs to run the Bougainville administration where all the money continue to disappear.
It happened since independence yet we are blaming PNG as a country for the corruption and not the specific leaders of each constituency past and present for not playing their part in bringing development to respective electorate they represent.
The challenge in Bougainville is to work to rid corruption head on otherwise independent or not Bougainville will continue to suffer.
I for one would call for economic independence instead of political independence because you only live a short life so why not make the most of it while you can?
Posted by: Nathan Airigan | 02 February 2022 at 05:19 PM
I just hope PNG remains united as a country with the same land mass when we became independent in 1975.
If Bougainville breaks away, New Ireland and New Britain could be next. Someone in Manus could might come up with thought as well.
Next year's general elections should be a national referendum on Bougainville Independence.
Posted by: Kindin Ongugo | 27 September 2021 at 08:25 AM