010414MOMIS SAYS KAUONA'S ATTACK SILLY AND OFFENSIVE
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KAUONA’S ATTACK ON ABG “SILLY & OFFENSIVE: MOMIS
Bougainville’s President, Chief John Momis, today commented on what he called a ‘surprising, silly and offensive statement’ by Mr. Sam Kauona. Published as a paid advertisement in The National Newspaper on Monday 26th May, the statement was made by Kauona as Chair of the Bougainville Resource Owners Representation Committee (BRORC). It claimed that in developing Bougainville mining law, the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) was controlled by Australian companies, BCL/Rio Tinto, and Australian advisers. Kauona attacked the ABG for planning to pass its new Mining Law in June.
The President said:
“Kauona’s statement is surprisingly silly. The draft ABG mining law has not been rushed. It has not been developed to help BCL, Rio Tino or Australia.
“It has been under development for two years now, since July 2012. It was first developed to stop foreign companies trying to control mining development in Bougainville through the back door. Those companies were Invincible Resources and Morumbi Resources. They were fully supported by Mr. Kauona. The former Australian, Lindsay Semple, has been the main spokesmen for those companies. Semple is still working closely with Kauona.
“The ABG has been carefully consulting many Bougainville groups about its draft mining law. There have already been four main drafts of the law. Each new draft has been changed in many ways to deal with concerns and problems raised within the ABG and by those consulted. In the third draft, there was a draft provision recognising BCL’s existing rights under PNG law. But many groups, including the Bougainville Women’s Forum in March, and ex-combatants, including Mr. Kauona, said they rejected any recognition of the Bougainville Copper Agreement (the BCA).
“Mr. Kauona knows full well that in meetings in March and April, the ABG agreed to change those draft provisions. Those changes have now been prepared. They say that the BCA will not apply in Bougainville, and that BCL’s special mining lease will no longer be recognised. Yet Mr. Kauona now attacks us for doing what we agreed with him. He should be ashamed.
“The Kauona statement also attacks the ABG for speeding up work on the Mining Bill to stop any National Government action to take over Panguna. He says that was never planned. But in February, Prime Minister O’Neill proposed to me directly that the National Government would repeal the BCA Act and expropriate all Rio Tinto shares in BCL. That would make PNG the majority owner of BCL. I knew Bougainvilleans would object to PNG controlling the development of mining at Panguna. So I wrote to the PM, opposing what he proposed, in the strongest terms. After that I met him. He then agreed that he would leave all issues about Panguna to be decided by the ABG.
“But I also directed that the ABG must pass its own mining law as soon as possible. In this way we send the strongest possible signal that only the ABG will make decisions about mining in Bougainville. We need such a strong signal not just for the National Government. There are just too many outsiders trying to get control of our mineral resources.
“Mr. Kauona says that the ABG has a neo-colonial mining policy. His reason? Because the ABG has an Australian adviser, who has worked with us for over 30 years, working on the mining law. But he is the only non-Bougainvillean amongst 20 or more officers and advisers who have worked on the draft law. They have included three Bougainvillean lawyers. All directions about their work, and all final decisions on the drafts of the law, are made by the Bougainville Executive Council. All of its members are Bougainvilleans. Does Mr. Kauona really think that all these Bougainvilleans can be pushed around, and told what to do, by one Australian? If the Australian tried to do that, he would be thrown out. We are happy to use him because he does what we direct. If Mr. Kauona has any complaints, they should be made about the Bougainvilleans who are giving the directions here.
“Finally, it’s a sick and shameful joke for Kauona to complain about neo-colonialism – which really means coming under control of foreigners after the colonial masta has gone. But its Mr. Kauona who is under control of a new masta.
He is under the control of Mr. Semple, a former Australian, now a Canadian citizen. When Semple and Kauona were working to give Canadian company, Invincible, control of Bougainville mining, all the documents were prepared in Canada, by Canadian lawyers. Bougainville officers were specifically prevented from being involved. These documents done in Canada included major contracts between the ABG and Invincible. Most shameful of all, an ABG law passed in December 2008 was drafted by a Canadian, in Canada, and sent by them to Buka to be passed. That was the Bogenvil Resources Development Corporation (AROB) Ltd. (Kabui Model) Authorization Act. It was a law passed only to help Invincible get control of mining in Bougainville.
“The same is true of all the very unfair MOUs signed between Semple’s second Canadian company, Morumbi, and small groups of landowners, in 2012 and 2013. The MOUs aimed to give Morumbi 55 years control of resources in Bougainville’s most highly prospective mineral areas. They were prepared in Canada, and trumpeted on Morumbi’s Canadian website.
“I remain ready to work with Mr. Kauona. But I will not be lectured by him about foreigners Controlling the abg -----------
The train left the station 2013 |
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