NGO leader says Bougainvilleans ready for key vote

Transcript

URSULA RAKOVA: Yeah. We are counting down the days, the months, before we can actually come together on the 15th June and vote for independence.

DON WISEMAN: How are the preparations going? Are people well informed?

UR: The general population was waiting for the question which was laid out last week and there is now awareness going on. I cannot say there has been a lot of awareness but awareness is going on at the moment. But even before the awareness people generally had a feeling they wanted to vote for independence.

DW: yes and this is something that just last week the Preisdent John Momis said to me [that] his government wants the people to vote for independence. But there is this other aspect of the question and that is, greater autonomy. Do the people know what that is?

UR: I think we were already in the process of greater autonomy. What greater autonomy are we looking at? We may not understand what greater autonomy means but we know that greater autonomy means giving us what we wanted. We were already given [government] departments. We have departments in Bougainville. The only departments that weren't given to us were defence, finance and maybe policing although we have community policing, and foreign affairs weren't given to us. Otherwise the departments are there. i know we have got to build our economic bases in Bougainville but I also know there was a country that got independence and it was fully economically sound. And I know we can build our economic bases and we have that, through agriculture and fisheries.

DW: After the vote is held there are going to be discussions with the PNG government and then I think it goes to the national parliament. So it's not a cut and dried thing is it? Do Bougainvilleans generally accept that?

UR: We know that the PNG Cabinet will have the last say but we are praying that the outcome of that last say will be in our favour.