Latest news with #AmandaMasono
RNZ News
4 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
'I believe I can': Elizabeth Palin runs for Bougainville North women's seat in September poll
Elizabeth Tako Palin Photo: Facebook / Box 13 North Bougainville Women's Regional - Elizabeth Tako Palin Elizabeth Tako Palin is one of five women contesting in the Bougainville North women's reserved seat. It was previously held by Amanda Masono, who has chosen to contest the open Atolls seat, which was once held by her father. The autonomous Papua New Guinea region is holding a single-day poll on 4 September to elect a new 46-member House. A record 34 women are standing, including 14 in the three seats reserved for women. Former teacher Palin ran in 2020 and has wide political experience at the local level. She spoke with RNZ Pacific. (This transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity.) Elizabeth Palin: I was a former chair lady in the local level government, community government, and I just resigned to contest the seat. I served in the community government and at the ward assembly system for 10 years. But prior to that I was a teacher by profession, Don Wiseman: Being in the local level government. Is that a full time activity, Is it for you? EP: It is, yes. DW: What does it involve? EP: It involves chairing the local level government at the community base level, and also taking care of the five wards within the respective community government that I'm heading. And, formally, in the first establishment of the first House of Assembly, I was the vice chair lady. So as one of the ward members in the five wards under the urban council, urban community government. I contested the fourth House and I came second. I came back to be with the community, and then I worked with the people. I went contested [a second election] and I became the ward member and also lobbied for the chair position, and I became the chairperson. DW: So you want to be in the ABG [Autonomous Bougainville Government]. What is it you want to achieve there? EP: Being in the local level government, I have experienced a lot where we do not see the link. We do not really see that link from the top level of leadership down to the local level. We do not really feel it in some sense. Therefore, I decided that maybe I can be able to contest and get that leadership, and in experiencing my leadership at the ward level and community government level, I believe that I can be able to take that leadership and build that link from the top down to the ward assembly level, which includes the community government and vice versa, from the community government up to the top. This is what I experienced, and that is the main reason why I am contesting the seat. Also, I believe in my leadership because I have been with the local level government, and I believe I can perform at a much higher level as well. DW: Yes, well, you will have been campaigning now for weeks, because it's such a long period of campaigning, isn't it?. How are people reacting to you? EP: Oh, I have been receiving positive responses from the people, from the voters, in terms of the way I present my campaign strategy, my platform, especially. I have so far received very positive response from the general public and the voters in the region, and from all the locations that I have conducted my campaign. DW: Yes, I wouldn't expect a politician to say anything else going into an election. Independence for Bougainville is, it would seem, very close. How important is it to you that it's sorted sooner rather than later? EP: Being a leader, a woman leader in having gone through my people's experience in terms of fighting for their rights and for their independence, this coming independence, and what we we have been standing for as our political agenda is very, very crucial to me as with the general population of Bougainville. I cannot say no to that. I do understand a lot of work to do in terms of getting us prepared, in terms of demonstrating the indications and so forth, that we are able to get independence and we are independently ready. But based on the fights of our forefathers and our people and having lost the 20,000 lives, I stand for that. I believe that such a person like me, a woman with a strong voice at the political scene, in the political scene and level, I can be able to work as a team with the other leaders of Bougainville to get that independence. But having said that, it does not really mean that that is it. We are ready. As leaders, on the ground and at the different levels of governance, we need to work, and we have this how many years that have been given within the time frame for us to work in order to show that we're able to be an independent, sovereign state, and that is what I believe in.
RNZ News
13-07-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Amanda Masono eyes Atolls seat in Bougainville's election
Amanda Masono Photo: Facebook / Amanda Masono The Bougainville elections, which happen once every five years, are underway. The [ writs were issued last week, candidate nominations have now finished, and campaigning will be getting underway for voting over the first week of September. It will be an interesting poll for Amanda Masono, who came into parliament in 2020, winning one of the three seats reserved for women, North Bougainville. But this time around she is contesting the Atolls seat, campaigning alongside men, in a seat that her late father once held. RNZ spoke to Masono and began by asking how the previous five years had gone for her. (This transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity.) AMANDA MASONO: I think, yes, there's been some challenges, but more of them, which is, getting to know the people and trying to deliver to their expectations. Overall, generally try to support my government in ensuring that we prepare for independence for Bougainville. So yes, I've decided to recontest this election to get in for a 2025 to 2030 government. DON WISEMAN: When you say you've got your sights set on independence for Bougainville, what do you think you have achieved in the past five years, down that road? AM: Personally, I've been involved with negotiations between the national government and ABG (Autonomous Bougainville Government) in terms of the consultations after the referendum has been conducted. And now with the moderation talks with the PNG government, I've been personally involved with that team. For me, it's being in the process and getting to contribute to ensuring that Bougainville gets its independence. On the ground, internally, as member for North Bougainville, we've worked really hard in terms of implementing the independent strategy motion that was passed by our House when we came into parliament. We, as North Bougainville women, I went on to support our community governments and North Bougainville women to develop a strategic plan, which we recently launched. It's called North Bougainville Women and North Bougainville Community Government Strategic Plan 2025 to 2030, where it is a blueprint that guides all community governments to make sure that they are assisted in mobilising resources to continue developing their community governments as we prepare for independence. DW: Let's say we're talking in five years. Where do you think Bougainville will be by 2030. where would you like Bougainville to be by 2030? AM: I believe I'd like to see Bougainville independent by then and exercising some of the sovereign powers and functions that are still with PNG, particularly in terms of the fisheries, because under the Bougainville Peace Agreement there is this arrangement for the benefits from the fisheries to be shared. But Bougainville has not really received what is supposed to be given to it. Read more: I'll say that this election is very critical to ensuring we have a government that is elected to make sure it realises the independence for Bougainville because how we're going, the leaders on the ground have already made a bold statement that by 1 September 2027, we should be independent. So everyone is working towards that, and I believe by 2030 we should already be exercising some of those powers and functions to enable us to really contribute meaningfully and head to independence. DW: Yes, but to a large extent, it's not Bougainville's decision, is it? These plans could be stymied by Port Moresby. AM: Yes, yes, that's That's right, but Bougainville gan really is also working on its independent constitution. It's already established the Bougainville Constituent Assembly to, you know, debate its constitution, and from what we've passed last house, our preparation should not be - what should I say? When we established the Bougainville Constituent Assembly, there was this work done to ensure that, like while we are working, we also organised that, you know, ratification will come from PNG government. But with that unnecessary delay from the other side, our leaders are pretty determined on ensuring that we prepare ourselves internally, and whether the results are ratified or not, it is not PNG's decision to make, as long as we are prepared for that internally. For me, that's what I'd like to say about the ratification process. DW: You have been holding one of the three seats reserved for women, but you're not going to be doing that in this coming election. You're throwing your hat in one of the open seats. It's a fairly fraught thing, isn't it? So how do you think you'll go? AM: For Bougainville, in the current House, there's two women who came from the single constituencies. For us, I came into the reserve seat, so this time, I intend to contest the Atolls seat. I know it will be a bit challenging for me because it's not as straightforward as a woman's reserve seat I will have. I am going up against - most of them are male candidates - but I believe that at such a time as this, I am more than capable to be that voice, that adults' conscience, it needs right now.
