Source: PNG Mine Watch

The Panguna Peace Strategy was originally a program established to maintain peace-building efforts through a partnership between Mekamui faction and the Autonomous Bougainville government. Mekamui was given the lead role in developing a strategy for unity. PPBS was said to be a neutral framework focused on building and maintaining transparency for a new Bougainville. In between came none other than AusAID to fund the program.

The focus, as noted during the program’s launch, was reconciliation. However, this focus was gradually depleted over the period of 12 months. At a faster pace the parties to PPBS like Mekamui and the Panguna Women have been fazed out and replaced by the enemy himself – BCL and the Asian tea boy, John Momis.

Now the very people driving PPBS are the ones who failed Bougainville in its bid for independence. Slowly but quickly came the man behind the Siwai internal crisis, Ruben Siara. Ruben is a man who goes around aligning himself to Mekamui in order to obtain popular support.

Originally PPBS was a source of hope for many people especially in Panguna area. However, when the opportunists saw that the PPBS was already establishing a solid relationship with the people they flooded in like flies. Already people of Panguna has seen that PPBS is no longer a neutral body.

An organization once said to be focused on unifying Panguna first has now grown wings to control districts of South and Central regions. The interest is not on resolving the crisis related issues for the district. It is to gain control through the Peace and Security groups. There are people who are happy saying that as PPBS expands, it is expanding through merit. No the reason PPBS is gaining more attention is because Momis government has seen that PPBS is standing with the people, and wants a share of the spoils.

PPBS has gotten the government’s interest because of its close relationship with the people. If the ABG can pretend to support the people on their need for reconciliation, bang, Momis gets into the next House. This is the approach now taken by ABG. It is PPBS in Panguna District and Council of Elders in Kieta District. Momis is not worry about the Northern region as they are already under his pants.