PNG calls in Sir Jerry Mateparae for Bougainville independence talks

Former governor-general and senior diplomat Sir Jerry Mateparae has been called in to help mediate independence negotiations between the government of Papua New Guinea and the autonomous government of Bougainville.
The protracted negotiations over the political future of the region have reached a deep impasse.
In 2019, almost 98 percent of Bougainville’s people voted for independence, but the referendum was non-binding, so it must be ratified by PNG’s parliament – a detail the Bougainville government disputes.
The poll was a key part of a nearly 20-year-old peace agreement, which brought an end to the bloody civil war in the region.
Up to 20,000 people, or 10 percent, of the island’s population, died during the conflict, which ran from 1988 to 1998.
Despite the signing of the peace agreement and 2019’s overwhelming referendum result, to date, the two parties have been unable to reach an agreement on independence going forward.
Then last week, Papua New Guinea’s government and the autonomous Bougainville government said they had decided who would be appointed to moderate the province’s determined push for full independence.
On Tuesday, Mateparae (Ngāti Tūwharetoa and Ngāti Kahungunu) told Newsroom he was aware he was the “preferred candidate” for the two parties.
The former governor-general said he had a preliminary conversation with a senior PNG bureaucrat, who said the UN, PNG government and autonomous government of Bougainville needed to work through a process before making an official announcement.
“Should I be confirmed as the moderator, then I will be honoured to help,” he said.
Newsroom understands the deal is all but sealed, with that administrative process consisting of some official document signings.
A spokesperson for Foreign Minister Winston Peters said he welcomed indications Mateparae was the preferred UN moderator to assist the two governments to “chart a path forward for Bougainville’s future”.
“Sir Jerry comes with sound credentials, including having formerly served as governor-general of New Zealand, former chief of Defence Force of New Zealand, and former commander of the Peace Monitoring Group in Bougainville,” the spokesperson said.
Mateparae played a central role as a mediator in negotiations for a permanent ceasefire between Bougainville and PNG in 1998, at the end of the crisis.
He also held the senior diplomatic post of New Zealand High Commissioner to the UK between 2017 and 2020 – when Peters was last foreign minister.
PNG Prime Minister James Marape and Bougainville President Ishmael Toroama have since confirmed Mateparae’s appointment.
In a joint statement released late on Tuesday NZT, the pair said the decision to appoint a moderator was made in May. 
“Sir Jerry was selected from a well credentialed list of potential candidates,” they said, adding that they looked forward to working with him in navigating a “mutually successful conclusion” to the Bougainville peace process.
“Sir Jerry is highly regarded having previously served as Government General of New Zealand and as New Zealand’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. He has had a long and distinguished military career including serving as New Zealand’s Chief of Defence Force.”
The statement noted Mateparae’s “extensive experience” in peace monitoring in conflict and post-conflict environments including in East Timor and in Bougainville.
“We consider Sir Jerry to be extremely credible, is from the Pacific Region, and commands the respect of both our governments.”
The two parties also agreed to expand the scope of the moderator’s roles to allow it to be more flexible.
But some who were closely involved with facilitating peace talks, and have knowledge of the negotiations, have questioned whether there is a way forward for Bougainville as an independent state, given PNG’s influence over the process and its self-interest in stopping the resource-rich autonomous region from gaining independence.
One person told Newsroom there was a high risk the negotiations could still fall over, despite the appointment of a respected mediator.
There have also been suggestions Bougainville lacks the governance and systems to become a successful, independent state.
But Bougainville is anxious to get a plan ratified this year, with the deadline for a deal already extended.
RNZ reported in December that Bougainville’s minister for independence implementation, Ezekiel Massatt, was calling for a “working moderator” to help move things forward.
When Bougainville held its referendum in 2019, the commission running the poll was chaired by former Irish prime minister, Bertie Ahern, who was later promoted as a possible mediator but with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, this never eventuated.
Massatt said whoever was chosen would have to be from the Asia-Pacific region, and would be able to isolate issues in the relationship before they morphed into major problems.
“And walk the parties through those potential hotspots so that we don’t get to that impasse stage.”
Earlier this week, Massatt told ABC it took a long time to begin the selection process, but once the process began, they quickly identified the right person.
“We had 15 candidates but quickly went to two and the candidate we picked has good institutional memory on Bougainville’s agenda,” he said.
And Bougainville President Ishmael Toroama warned there was a chance people in the province could “revolt” if they felt their vote was ignored and they were being locked out of the political process, although he stressed that did not mean they would “go to war”.
“The sentiment of the people, if [the political solution] sits properly within that space, I think they will accept [it]” he said.
Meanwhile, the Bougainville government’s newly created “external relations” office is connecting with the Pacific’s Melanesian Spearhead Group, as it pushes to become a member of the multilateral organisation in order to win friends and influence around the region.
Earlier this month, Toroama told BenarNews that being represented at that group would be “one step forward into reality”.
“We need countries to support us, we need to talk to those countries (ahead of independence),” said the former Bougainville Revolutionary Army commander, who will face elections next year after five years in office.
Last September, Bougainville also called on New Zealand, along with other big Pacific players like Australia, China, the US and Japan, for foreign direct investment, foreshadowing the importance of diplomatic relations with these countries once the province achieved independence.