BOUGAINVILLE : WE NEED TO CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS BOUGAINVILLE INDEPENDENCE

 

Member for Eivo-Torau Lawrence Sirapui speaking at the license presentation for the Manetai Limestone One project in his area.

BY PETERSON TSERAHA in ARAWA

A member of a resource rich constituency on Bougainville has now told and encouraged his people to start utilizing their resources.

The Member for Eivo-Torau Constituency in Central Bougainville Lawrence Sirapui has now encouraged his people to start contributing towards Bougainville’s Independence.

“President Ishmael Toroama has openly challenged the Eivo-Torau leadership saying there is a tide ready to come and sweep the people of Eivo-Torau away, are you ready?”  Mr Sirapui asked.

“What does the President mean? He means that we the people of Eivo-Torau need to get our heads out of the sand and start thinking critically on how to use our resources in a more planned and coordinated manner.

“We have a lot of resources available timber, gold, lime, Kuveria prison cattle, and now the Manetai limestone, my appeal now is to put our differences behind and start using these resources that we are sitting on.

“We have Karatapo Resources Limited, Eivo Joint Venture (EJV) small scale logging  and now the limestone, we always say we want to do it ourselves but we do not have the capacity and that is where you need an investor to partner with.

“2025 is now just around the corner and are we just going to continue sleeping and then boast to other people that we have resources?” Mr Sirapui said.

“We are one of the most remotest and under-developed areas on Bougainville but we have resources so it is now about time we start somewhere now.

“These projects like the limestone and other resource related projects are our packages, our economical packages that will help us prepare for independence.

“All investors in our constituency are legitimate they have come in through the inwards investment and that why they are here on the ground now.

“Its nose begging from the government for money when you have money right under your noses through resources,” Mr Sirapui said.