President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Ishmeal Toroama, expects the Papua New Guinea (PNG) Government to take ownership and endorse independence in this 11th parliament. During the Joint Moderation Consultation today, Mr. Toroama thanked the National Government for inviting the signatories to the Peace Agreement to witness the opening ceremony of this moderation, stating that as one of the key negotiators in those days, he still remembers, that they never argued to implement their part of the bargain, and he still remembers that he had to meet the BPA commitments as his part of the bargain. “And in the same spirit, Honorable Prime Minister, I now expect your government to take ownership and endorse independence in this 11th parliament. Prime Minister, I appeal to you to take the Bougainville referendum results and pass it to the National Minister for Bougainville Affairs to present to the National Parliament for endorsement through this moderation process in the same manner the National Constitution was amended to give effect to the Bougainville Peace Agreement. By this action of the Parliament of Papua New Guinea, to amend the Constitution in 2001, PNG was probably the first independent state anywhere to have accorded the UN Charter right and principle of self-determination of peoples to its own people under its domestic laws and regulations. We recognize that the sessional order is a process that will happen in the national parliament and while we appreciate the engagement in this particular subject, it has diverted our attention from the core agenda of the political settlement on independence," said the president. He went on to say that the referendum Independence result must be endorsed. "In the spirit of the Bougainville Peace Agreement, the two governments can jointly decide as part of the consultations to reach agreement on a bilateral relationship for independence for Bougainville outside of parliament," he said. He stressed that Bougainville’s agenda is independence and the post-referendum consultations have made this clear, resulting in joint agreements such as the Wabag roadmap and the Era Kone Covenant. Therefore, he expects that the moderation process addresses the Bougainville independence issue. "I thank the signatory countries that witnessed the Peace Agreement, for your commitment. I trust that as the witnesses to the BPA, you will respect the Bougainville people’s democratic choice for Independence, decided through a constitutionally granted referendum for independence. I am aware that some countries are already implicated in pushing their neo-colonial interests in Bougainville and I ask that you refrain from interfering. “Sir Jerry, my people have set 1st September 2027, as the date for independence to take effect. This decision is consistent with the jointly agreed Referendum Results Implementation Roadmap, commonly known as the ‘Wabag Roadmap’, that set the window of ‘no earlier than 2025, no later than 2027’, for the declaration of independence,” President Toroama said. He said as President, he will uphold the decision of his people throughout these moderation consultations. “I look forward that this moderation process will conclude with an agreement on the independence package for Bougainville,” Mr. Toroama added.