PNG and Bougainville to sign MOU

PAPUA New Guinea and the Autonomous Bougainville Government will sign a memorandum of understanding on the drawdown of powers specifically for the public service in the region.

The effective and proper implementation of the MOU will empower the Bougainville public service to help in the full attainment of autonomy in readiness for the referendum.

The MOU will be signed today in Bougainville. So far drawdown of powers has been a major agenda for the Joint Supervisory Body Meeting between the two governments and education and health have been the first.

Yesterday the Public Service Minister Sir Dr Puka Temu announced he would be travelling to Bougainville with Personnel Management secretary John Kali with heads of key national agencies to execute the joint memorandum of understanding with the ABG government for the drawdown of powers as per the Bougainville Peace Agreement.

This follows a joint understanding through the Joint Supervisory Body (JSB) for the National Government to devolve a lot more of its powers to the Bougainville Government which include human resource management, education, labour and employment, agriculture and livestock, communication and information, community development, arts and culture, health, tourism and environment and conservation.

Mr Kali said that the most important ingredient was the development of capacity of the Bougainville public service in terms of its institutions and the public servants in order that the powers are effectively assumed and utilised for the good of the people of Bougainville.

Sir Puka and Mr Kali had been pivotal in helping to establish the public service on the island and helping to create the necessary accountabilities for the drawdown of these national powers.

They appealed to all agency heads concerned to co-operate in implementing this milestone agreement with the Bougainvillians. Post Courier/ONE PNG