By Buin Ogoi

Mi yet ples meri long south Bougainville laik tok stret long president blo mipla John Momis osem ol manmeri lo Bougainville ino longlong bai yu ken giamanim mipla lo hia na bihain go autsait na tanim toktok long ol pipol lo wol. Long autsait long Bougainville yu save toktok osem mipla ol pipol blo Bougainville inidim displa Panguna mine lo riopen. Mipla klia lo displa ol trick yu save mekim, yu ting mipla no save? Bihain long yu giamanim ol lain autsait yu save kam long mipla ol pipol na tok ‘mine bai riopen sapos ol pipol itok’. Yu wantem ol niusman blo yu save putim ol giaman rabis long nius na mekim mipla ol pipol iluk osem mipla sapotim riopening blo displa mine.

Yu tok osem klostu olgeta man na meri iwanbel na laikim riopening long ol pipol lo Australia, wanem evidence blo yu istap lo pruvim displa? Yu yet yu mas ikam na explainim we yu kisim kain ol evidence osem mipla laikim mine riopen. Noken tingting lo ileksen kempain blo yu na raunim Bougainville olsem flying fox. Nau yet lo displa taim yu wok lo raun nabaut opim ol liklik project nabaut long ol ples we yu no save putim lek or mak blo yu, tasol em orait yu save long mipla ol pipol lo hia, mipla iken smail na hamamas lo ai blo yu na u ting mipla istap lo gutpla bel wantem yu. Yu mas tingting gut lo displa samting.

Mi yet bin hamamas lo harim displa ripot ikam aut long ol pipol lo Panguna osem ol man na meri ino wanbel lo riopening. Displa ripot we wanpla grup lo Australia imekim, lo mi yet em displa ol toktok em makim tingting blo planti blo mipla lo ples. Yes, em itru osem mipla no laikim mining, mipla no nidim tu, na displa tingting ibin stap lo bipo yet ikam inap nau, na bai istap osem tasol. Plis President Momis inap nau lo giaman.

Ating, moa gutpla yu kam na tokaut long mipla ol pipol lo ples long as why yu save mekim ol displa kain ol toktok wantem nogat gutpla sapot blong mipla ol pipol. Sapos yu ting osem samting yu wok lo mekim em istret, ok inap yu tok why igat planti manmeri ino wanbel long ol toktok blo yu lo hia yet long Bougainville.

Mipla bin gat bikpla bilip osem bai yu bringim Bougainville lo independence osem na mipla votim yu long 2010 ileksen, tasol iluk osem yu wok lo traim bringim mipla go bek lo displa taim bipo we mine ibin bagarapim tru mipla ol pipol blo yu long taim ol poisin blo mine go insait lo wara na graun, na tu ol squata setelment ikam pulap tru we ol save rapim of yangpla meri na mama igo lo gaden, skul o wok, na kilim ol yangpla mangi blo Bougainville. Wanem samting imekim yu ting osem disla mine riopening bai narakain?

Narapla samting tu, yu ting displa ol land owners association blo Panguna go inap lo Loloho imakim maus blo olgeta manmeri? Yu tingting gut lo displa bikos ol displa giaman representative isave tasol long ol kona blo Arawa taun na ino long ples blong ol.

Taim yu bin kam lo Buin sampla wik igo pinis lo openim displa bikpla show, na ol toktok yu mekim long ol autsait man kam giamanim yumi nabaut, mi no bin wanbel long ol displa toktok bikos yu sutim pinga long ol na yu yet no lukim osem bikpla giaman tu yu wok lo mekim lo ai blo mipla ol pipol blo yu na autsait tu.

Olsem na gutpla president blo mipla, ating sapos yu no bin save mekim ol displa giaman toktok bipo , bai yumi stap lo gutpla bel na bai yu no inap gat displa kain ol toktok rabis long yu. Em mi yet ipilim hevi tru osem yu yet lida ikam lo sait blo mipla ol Buin, na displa ol pasin blo lidasip blo yu iwok lo mekim mipla lain blo yu pilim nogut. Ating moa gutpla yu lusim issue blo mining long ol Panguna yet na traim na lukluk long ol narapla wei yumi ken mekim independence blo Bougainville ikamap tru.

Translation

I, a village woman in South Bougainville want to frankly say to our president John Momis that the people of Bougainville are not stupid that he can trick us here and then go outside and say something else to the rest of the world. Outside Bougainville, you say that your people in Bougainville need the reopening of the Panguna mine. We are aware of this trick you play; do you think we do not? And after lying to the people outside you come to us and tell us that ‘the mine will reopen if the people say so’. You with your media people always putting out trash in the news making us the people look as if we actually support the reopening of this mine (Panguna).

You say that almost all people are in support of the mine reopening to the people of Australia, where is your evidence to prove this? You have to come and explain to us where you got the evidence that we the people want the reopening. Do not think about your election campaign which is causing you travel around Bougainville like a flying fox. Right now you are traveling around opening small projects in places you barely set foot on or even come to your consideration, but that is alright, you know the people here, we can smile and be merry in your eyes and you think we are in accord with you. You must seriously consider this fact.

I was very happy to hear about this report about the Panguna people; that they were not happy about the reopening of the mine. This report where a group from Australia (Jubilee Australia) compiled, from my perspective, represents the views of the majority of us the people in the villages. Yes, it is true we do not want the mine to be reopened, nor do we (the people) need it, and this was the notion that was from before until today, and it will stay like this. Please president Momis stop the lying.

I think it will be good if you come to us the people in the villages and explain why you make these kinds of twisting statements that do not have the people’s support. If you think what you are doing is right, then why there is great opposition from inside Bougainville?

We had much confidence that you would bring Bougainville to independence and that is why we voted you in the 2010 elections, but it seems that you are trying to bring us back to those times before when the mine brought much destruction to the people through poisoning of the rivers and land, and as well the sprouting of squatter settlements everywhere that harboured criminals that raped our young girls and mothers when they were going to work, school and gardens, not even our young men were safe too. What actually makes you think this proposed reopening will be different?

Another thing as well are these landowner associations from Panguna down to Loloho, do you really think they represent the people? You better give this more thought because these so-called representatives only know the corners of Arawa town, and not their villages.

When you came to Buin some weeks ago to open our show, and the statement you made about outsiders coming in and lying to us, I was not happy hearing those words because you pointed fingers at them and you yourself may have not realized your own big lie you have been making in front of us, your own people and outside too.

Therefore our good president may be if you have not been lying before, we would be in agreement with you and there would be no negative criticisms towards you. I, myself feel very bad that you, a leader from our side in Buin, with your leadership actions is painting a bad image of us your people. I think it would be better if you leave the issue of mining to the people of Panguna and you look at other alternatives that can help make the independence of Bougainville become a reality.