Plan to set up a TV station in Bougainville to empower people

Transcript

Setting up a television station on Bougainville as a medium for getting information to the people is a high priority for the regional member of Papua New Guinea's autonomous province.

Joe Lera recently visited Dunedin in New Zealand, where he's been in discussions with a TV producer to help set up a TV station.

He says since the height of the civil war in the 1990s, Bougainvilleans have had very little media access.

He told Bridget Tunnicliffe it could play a major role in light of the eventual referendum on independence.

JOE LERA: In terms of making information accessible to the population, after the crisis the only medium of getting people informed is Radio Bougainville, but it reaches only a few. Because they're using the FM wave, and not the short-wave. So it just reaches a few people. So after the crisis on Bouganville, the majority of the people don't know what's happening in government, and in development, in many areas. So television is very important. And as a leader it is one of my priority pillars, that people in government do multimedia so that my people can be informed and instantly access information on all aspects of government and development and that sort of thing. In light of the referendum I think it will play a major role, and the national government can use it to drive whatever awareness they want to give to the people before they vote for the referendum, for its independence, or continuation of autonomy within PNG. So I think setting up a television station on Bougainville as a medium for getting information to the people is very, very important.

BRIDGET TUNNICLIFFE: So currently in Bougainville, people who have TVs, their channel's supplied from Papua New Guinea, is that the only choice they have?

JL: We only have one channel. Those people who can afford private dishes, they access more than one channel, they use the tower system. Where as the TV I am trying to establish with the help of the TV company in New Zealand will use satellite so that people on Bougainville, the undeveloped locations there, they can access the signal. Where at the moment, only those in urban centres are accessing the EMTV, which is the Papua New Guinea television station.

BT: So does Bougainville have the money to fund a television station?

JL: Money is not an issue. As a regional member for Bougainville I get annual grants from the national government for driving development such as setting up the TV station. So money is not an issue, it's leadership has been an issue. If we can prioritise, there's no issue with money.

Joe Lera says they could be transmitting a signal by early next year.

Bougainville is to conduct the referendum some time after 2015.