301110GRANT APPROVED
By Aloysius Laukai

The Autonomous Bougainville Government will be able to meet some of its outstanding commitments before Christmas, thanks to the Prime Minister, Chief SIR MICHAEL SOMARE’s intervention last week to ensure that the FIFTEEN MILLION KINA for Bougainville’s Restoration Grant was released by the Department for Finance.

The FIFTEEN MILLION KINA restoration grant is allocated to the ABG by the National Government under Section 49 of the Bougainville Peace Agreement and Section 326, subsection 11 of the Organic Law on Peace Building in Bougainville.

However this year, 2010 AND ALSO next year 2011 the National Government has not included this into the National Budget.

ABG PRESIDENT, JOHN MOMIS when thanking the Prime Minister, SIR MICHAEL SOMARE and Treasurer, O ‘Neil for approving this year’s grant said that Bougainville was fortunate that some National Leaders who were involved in putting together the Bougainville Peace Agreement are still there and were prepared to help Bougainville achieve its full Autonomy and then move towards Referendum to decide its future political status.

MR. MOMIS said that the Restoration and Development Grant provided by the National Government each year was important to the ABG as this was the only money that the ABG has control over its usage, as others funds are controlled by its agents on Bougainville.

Other funds under the ABG’s control are the SEVEN MILLION KINA Internal Revenue.

Comments

[tei]

To add on what Paulus have stated,this is the xmas bonus to the people of Bougainville. But I just want to remind our ABG leaders to use the money wisely. Settle all the outstanding school fees for the universities and colleges that ABG made the committment. This is avoid any inconvenient at the beginning of the next school year 2011 and also to maintain the mutual understanding between those institutions and the ABG. Thankyou President John Momis and the leaders for the tireless effort made to get those Fifteen Million.
ta

Pom

[Paulus]

"The Autonomous Bougainville Government will be able to meet some of its outstanding commitments before Christmas, thanks to the Prime Minister, Chief SIR MICHAEL SOMARE’s intervention last week to ensure that the FIFTEEN MILLION KINA for Bougainville’s Restoration Grant was released by the Department for Finance."
This is the right way to solve our problems.
Paulus